# FFS Media, Editorial and Scorecard Governance Framework

**Research cut-off:** 4 August 2026
**Status:** Public-source media governance brief
**Applies to:** Active Seniors placements, FFS scorecards, awards and related digital/event activation

## Recommended position

Use the Spring placement as a controlled methodology consultation, not a score, ranking, award or product-outcome claim. Treat the bundled feature as advertising/native advertising unless the editor genuinely commissions, verifies and independently controls it. Require obvious first-view disclosure such as **“Advertising feature”** or **“Sponsored content.”**

Advertising spend must never affect FFS scoring, award eligibility, ranking, judging or editorial conclusions.

## Claim and governance boundaries

### Advertising identification

New Zealand's Advertising Standards Code uses a broad control and commercial-purpose test. A feature supplied or controlled by an advertiser beside paid space is likely advertising even when described as “free editorial.” Disclosure should be prominent at first view, not buried in a masthead or small print.

### General, health and financial claims

- Hold evidence before publication and present comparisons on a clear like-for-like basis.
- Do not distort tests or surveys, overstate partial results or treat endorsements as substantiation.
- The Therapeutic and Health Advertising Code applies to health claims and is fully effective from 1 July 2026. Do not claim PiP/FFS reduces loneliness, prevents decline or institutionalisation, improves health or is endorsed by Health NZ/providers.
- Use “designed to support participation and connection” within a clearly bounded evidence statement.
- Do not provide personalised financial recommendations. Disclose source, researcher, period, population and material risk when using financial statistics.

### Editorial integrity and corrections

Use the Media Council principles as the contractual standard whether or not the publication is a member:

- distinguish fact from comment;
- declare sponsorship, inducement and relationships;
- provide fair right of reply;
- correct significant errors promptly and with fair prominence;
- record corrections and versions.

### Privacy and lead capture

QR scanning is not newsletter consent. Use an SNZ-owned destination, collect only necessary information, display a collection notice and separate scorecard feedback from an unticked optional marketing consent. Commercial email/SMS requires consent, accurate sender identity and a working unsubscribe.

### Political firewall

Bona fide editorial is excluded from election advertising, but paid or advertiser-controlled content that may persuade voting can be election advertising and require a promoter statement. Keep FFS criteria, articles, QR destinations and award judging free of party, candidate and election-prediction content.

Do not use personal forecasting claims as evidence of scorecard authority. Any future political-analysis content requires a separate evidence, editorial and election-law review and must remain outside FFS scoring and awards.

## Negotiation checklist

1. Specify issue, edition, dimensions, position, print/digital inclusion, adjacency, deadlines, release window, price and GST.
2. Confirm whether the second half-page is advertiser-controlled and labelled, or genuinely editor-controlled with the commercial relationship disclosed.
3. Name the editor and secure SNZ factual approval, one consolidated proof round and no new headline/caption claims without approval.
4. Prohibit implied magazine, Probus, provider, Health NZ or government endorsement.
5. State that advertising spend cannot affect score, award, eligibility, ranking or judging.
6. Define print, web archive, social, email, image, alt-text, duration, correction and takedown rights.
7. Agree correction/right-of-reply contacts, service levels and print/online prominence.
8. Attach an evidence schedule to every quantitative claim.
9. Require print run, delivery by channel, returns, digital unique users and readership method before ROI reporting.
10. Include make-good or refund triggers for missed issue, wrong placement, missing disclosure/QR, unauthorised edits or under-delivery.
11. Keep response data at the SNZ-owned destination; define data roles, retention, deletion and breach handling.
12. Maintain a political and election-advertising firewall.
13. Record award sponsor, judge conflicts and recusals; never promise advertiser nomination or favourable coverage.
14. Define cancellation, payment, force majeure and archive/takedown terms.

## Recommended Spring treatment

**Title:** Help shape a fairer way to compare services
**Label:** Advertising feature — supplied by Seniors New Zealand

The short feature should explain that FFS is beginning with a listening exercise, will publish its method before results, will distinguish verified evidence from reader feedback and missing information, and will never sell a score, award or endorsement. Offer web, phone and post participation and a clear correction/right-of-reply process.

Do not publish a league table or “best” claim in a short introductory feature.

## Summer publication gate

All must be green before a score, rank, badge, winner or award is published:

1. Purpose, category and eligible universe fixed.
2. Method, criteria, weights, evidence hierarchy and missing-data rules published.
3. Independent governance lead, conflict register, recusals and minutes established.
4. Advertising/sponsorship firewall and disclosure implemented.
5. Equal evidence invitation and window for all in-scope organisations.
6. Factual, health, financial and comparative claims source-checked.
7. Sampling, denominators, self-selection caveat and minimum publication threshold fixed.
8. Named organisations receive their factual findings and a reasonable reply window.
9. Corrections, appeal and versioning process is live.
10. Privacy notice, separate marketing consent, phone/post route and accessibility test complete.
11. Legal/editorial review and final proof approval complete.
12. No political advocacy or prediction content.
13. Measurement links/codes tested.
14. Pilot/listening language retained unless evidence supports ranking.

If governance, method, reply, correction, privacy or data thresholds fail, publish methodology consultation only.

## Measurement contract

Require reporting at release, 30 days and 90 days:

- copies printed and delivered by channel;
- returns and undeliverables;
- digital-edition unique users, issue opens and page views;
- source, method and date for every audience figure;
- separate codes for print advert, print feature, digital feature, publisher email/social and Expo;
- valid visits after bot/duplicate rules;
- starts, valid submissions, explicit marketing opt-ins, qualified follow-ups and completed opportunities;
- incomplete, invalid, duplicate and bot counts;
- reader mode: web, phone or post;
- response themes with coding method and denominator.

Report:

- valid responses per 1,000 verified delivered copies;
- landing conversion = submissions / valid unique landing sessions;
- qualified rate = qualified leads / valid submissions;
- cost per valid response and cost per qualified lead.

Always show count and denominator. Do not multiply copies by an assumed readers-per-copy factor in ROI reporting and do not call self-selected responders representative.

## Current opportunity boundary

- The supplied PDF contains conflicting visible and older production layers. Obtain a current insertion order that separately confirms booking, copy, artwork, proof, correction, cancellation and release dates.
- Any later scorecard or awards issue is an option, not a confirmed booking.
- The 2026 Auckland and Bay of Plenty Expos are completed.
- Public Expo activity indicates 2027 planning, but no verified 2027 event dates, venues, current prospectus, prices or speaking inventory were found.

## Source register

- Advertising Standards Authority — Identification of advertisements: https://asa.co.nz/codes/guidance-notes/guidance-note-on-identification-of-advertisements/
- Advertising Standards Authority — Advertising Standards Code: https://asa.co.nz/codes/codes/advertising-standards-code/
- Advertising Standards Authority — Therapeutic and Health Advertising Code: https://asa.co.nz/codes/codes/therapeutic-and-health-advertising-code-new/
- Advertising Standards Authority — Financial Advertising Code: https://asa.co.nz/codes/codes/financial-advertising-code/
- Commerce Commission — Advertising claims: https://www.comcom.govt.nz/business/dealing-with-typical-situations/advertising-your-product-or-service/claiming-yourre-something-youre-not/
- New Zealand Media Council — Principles: https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/principles/
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner — Collecting personal information: https://www.privacy.org.nz/responsibilities/collecting/
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner — Privacy principle 10: https://www.privacy.org.nz/privacy-principles/10/
- Department of Internal Affairs — Commercial electronic messaging: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Spam---Commercial-electronic-messaging-in-New-Zealand
- Elections NZ — Election advertising: https://elections.nz/guidance-and-rules/advertising-and-campaigning/about-election-advertising
- Elections NZ — Publisher and Broadcaster Handbook 2026: https://elections.nz/assets/Handbooks/Publisher-and-Broadcaster-Handbook-2026-General-Election.pdf
- Nielsen — New Zealand 65+ audience context: https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2026/nielsen-cmi-shows-new-zealands-over-65s-are-a-growing-cashed-up-and-still-working-audience-brands-cant-ignore/
- Roy Morgan — New Zealand readership results: https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/10146-new-zealand-roy-morgan-readership-results-newspapers-and-magazines-december-2025

## Research classification

- **Verified public rule:** supported by a regulator, standards body or official guidance.
- **Contract recommendation:** proposed protection to negotiate in writing.
- **Publisher-supplied claim:** media-owner information not independently audited.
- **Unresolved:** requires evidence or current commercial confirmation.