Harassment claimed at concert radio station

Bottom slapper didn’t face any consequences, says ex-RNZ staffer

A former RNZ Concert worker who alleges she was slapped on the bottom by a colleague is calling for an inquiry into bullying and sexual harassment at the broadcaster.

The woman, who was in her late 40s at the time, alleges she was sexually harassed five years ago and when she reported it to HR the man did not face any consequences.

Her story comes after the Herald revealed five people in the past five years were reported for sexual harassment or sexism at the broadcaster.

During her time at RNZ Concert — the arm of the network which specialises in classical music — she said a senior colleague touched her inappropriately multiple times including placing his hand on top of hers while she was working alone in an office.

“I just kind of thought, I am too old for this s***. Not that I think you should go harass anyone else but, you know, you kind of think what are you doing.”

On another occasion, the woman said the man came up behind her, put his arm around her and was “touchyfeely” around her neck.

“I just thought ‘ew, don’t touch my neck, you know, you are not my friend’.”

After the second time, the woman said she still didn’t want to do anything about it because she felt “embarrassed” and thought people might not believe that he would harass a “little old lady” as opposed to a young woman.

“[I] just didn’t want to believe he would behave like this.”

Around this time, and because of a restructure, the woman says she was offered a new role she could apply for but decided against it and resigned instead.

After she resigned, she said the colleague sent what she felt was a “creepy” message.

“I saw the email and I just shuddered. I can’t, I don’t have an answer for this, it was just . . . horrible.”

Soon after, she said she was standing and speaking to another staff member when the man came up to her and whispered in her ear “you didn’t reply to my email” while slapping the side of her bottom with the backside of his hand.

The woman met with HR, who she said apologised on behalf of the company.

She was told that the HR person had spoken to the man, who said he couldn’t recall any issues but that possibly he had stood too close to her.

This was the last she heard about the situation and said she left without receiving redundancy because she didn’t want to work four more months in the same office as the man to get the payout.

“I was left feeling just gutted, lacking confidence and just feeling like ‘god, what did I do wrong’.”

She still wasn’t fully “over it” and said it affected her in the years that followed.

“I don’t believe anyone suffered any consequences; I was the only one that really bore the brunt of it,” she said.

The woman said she hoped that by sharing her story there would be some form of inquiry into the state broadcaster.

“They’re not above public scrutiny, and sometimes they might think they are.”

The man no longer works for the company, according to an email sent to all RNZ employees by chief executive Paul Thompson.

Thompson, who sent the staff email after the Herald’s inquiries, said he would be “seeking to meet with the complainant and to ensure we address the concerns appropriately”.

“This makes it timely for me to again reinforce the critical importance we are placing on ensuring everyone at RNZ feels supported and safe and able to raise concerns and have them addressed fairly and promptly,” he said.

In a statement, an RNZ spokesperson said they were very concerned a former employee had had this experience with RNZ and would welcome the opportunity to talk with her.

“Dignity at Work has been a key focus for RNZ over the last two years and, as a result, we have a zero tolerance policy to bullying and harassment and have established more robust HR processes.”

The spokesperson said safety was a priority and they were confident the existing policies and processes were robust and appropriate.

“Though we are aware this may not have always been the case in the past.”

The Herald reported last year that a senior RNZ staff member was stood down — and then left the broadcaster — after allegations of sexual harassment.

It is understood more than 15 people were interviewed as part of that investigation.

One of the women, who asked not to be identified, told the Herald at the time that in her opinion he was a “creepy” man who preyed on young, vulnerable women.

She said then that she was “at the receiving end of some of his sexist comments” and she believed he did it on purpose to make some women feel uncomfortable.

I just kind of thought, I am too old for this . . .

Accuser