TVNZ reporter attacked while filming

Wednesday 03 Aug 2011
Television New Zealand presenter Gordon Harcourt was left with a black eye and cuts to his face after he was attacked while filming an episode of Fair Go, a consumer affairs programme.

Mr Harcourt was shooting at Mount Manganui on North Island when he was allegedly assaulted by a 47-year-old company director.

He was with a Fair Go crew filming an episode on irresponsible lending, which will air tonight.

Mr Harcourt said he and a camera operator had been out of the car for seconds when he was approached by “three gentlemen”.

“I received three blows to the face and we were in a bit of a fracas over the camera which one of the gentlemen was paying particular attention to.”

A 47-year-old man will appear in court in Tauranga tomorrow charged with assault and intentional damage.

Fair Go is one of New Zealand’s longest-running and best-rating programmes. It combines a weekly mixture of hard-nosed investigative reporting with light-hearted stories related to consumer affairs.

The programme’s motto is: “If you’ve been ripped off, short-changed or given the runaround and nobody wants to know… we do!”