Target (New Zealand TV series)
Encyclopedia
Target is a New Zealand consumer advice show. It's hosted by Jeanette Thomas and Brooke Howard-Smith
. The show has run for 11 seasons and remains one of New Zealand's highest rated factual programs and has won 1 Qantas Media Award
card or less change than required to purchase the item. Therefore, the test is to see whether the retailer would have sold the item to the actor if they had the money to do so. In 2009 Christchurch
liquor trial, there was a record broken for the youngest ever actor used in the trial: 10 years old, and she was allowed to buy alcohol.
In March 2011, The house that Target uses for filming in Tauranga was uncovered by an electrician who had been called to fit a power point in the bedroom. The electrician started the job but quickly suspected something was out of the ordinary when he noticed a diary lying open next to where he was working, bikinis on the bed, and photographs of women. He also found a hidden camera in a smoke alarm. He left the job immediately and phoned his lawyer who advised him not to continue. This event has not aired yet.
The 16 June 2009 edition of the consumer show featured a hidden camera segment assessing the hygiene standards of eight Auckland cafes, and claimed chicken from Cafe Cezanne contained high levels of faecal coliforms.
TV3 released a statement on behalf of production company Top Shelf Productions admitting food samples from the cafes were incorrectly coded and they were unable to confirm which one had produced the contaminated food.
Subsequently to this the owners of Cafe Cezanne has started legal proceedings against Top Shelf Productions.
, LPG bottle fills, Children's visits to Santa
(2006 Christmas Special) and standards of services such as public toilets.
with mostly teenage children.
from the Consumers Institute where David would explain what the consumers rights were in this situation. The role play would continue and as various points were raised once again David would explain the consumers rights in the situation.
Brooke Howard-Smith
Brooke Howard-Smith is a New Zealand broadcaster. He is currently married to Amber Peebles who is a former Miss New Zealand and presents for MTV.Brooke owned a bar in Auckland, New Zealand called The Pony Club...
. The show has run for 11 seasons and remains one of New Zealand's highest rated factual programs and has won 1 Qantas Media Award
Hidden Camera Trials
This has been a major part of the show since the launch of Target in 1999. It is used to reveal Trades People and Shops misconduct and illegal behaviour including urinating in showers.Retail Trials
In these trials often young actors under the age of 18 are sent into a store to purchase an item restricted to persons over the age of 18, such as cigarettes, pornographic material and alcohol. To prevent breaking the law themselves, the actor is given an expired EFTPOSEFTPOS
EFTPOS is the general term used for debit card based systems used for processing transactions through terminals at points of sale. In Australia and New Zealand it is also the brand name of the specific system used for such payments...
card or less change than required to purchase the item. Therefore, the test is to see whether the retailer would have sold the item to the actor if they had the money to do so. In 2009 Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
liquor trial, there was a record broken for the youngest ever actor used in the trial: 10 years old, and she was allowed to buy alcohol.
Hidden Camera House Trials
Target have their own Hidden Camera house which is located in a different area of New Zealand each season. The house has Hidden Cameras throughout and is used to send various tradesmen there to carry out work, the tradesmen are left in the home alone while the occupant of the house goes out. Jobs can range from repairing appliances in the home, to building work, to electrical or plumbing work. The test is not only to see the standard of the work carried out but also the actions of the worker, whether he/she wanders into rooms of the house he/she has no reason to be in and whether the worker acts in a professional manner.In March 2011, The house that Target uses for filming in Tauranga was uncovered by an electrician who had been called to fit a power point in the bedroom. The electrician started the job but quickly suspected something was out of the ordinary when he noticed a diary lying open next to where he was working, bikinis on the bed, and photographs of women. He also found a hidden camera in a smoke alarm. He left the job immediately and phoned his lawyer who advised him not to continue. This event has not aired yet.
Restaurant Trials
Some trials have involved an actor visiting a restaurant or other food service place and while dining there taking a sample of the food purchased. The sample is sent to a lab for analysis. Also the standard of the service is examined and any hygiene practices.The 16 June 2009 edition of the consumer show featured a hidden camera segment assessing the hygiene standards of eight Auckland cafes, and claimed chicken from Cafe Cezanne contained high levels of faecal coliforms.
TV3 released a statement on behalf of production company Top Shelf Productions admitting food samples from the cafes were incorrectly coded and they were unable to confirm which one had produced the contaminated food.
Subsequently to this the owners of Cafe Cezanne has started legal proceedings against Top Shelf Productions.
Service/Repair Trials
These trials were more common in the earlier seasons. A fault is created in an appliance such as a TV set, Microwave, DVD player and the item is then taken to repair outlets. When the appliance is returned to the actor the presenters then check to see whether the appliance has actually been repaired and the standard of the repair, as well as the time taken to repair the appliance and the cost.Other Trials
The other trials have included taxisTaxis
A taxis is an innate behavioral response by an organism to a directional stimulus or gradient of stimulus intensity. A taxis differs from a tropism in that the organism has motility and demonstrates guided movement towards or away from the stimulus source ...
, LPG bottle fills, Children's visits to Santa
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
(2006 Christmas Special) and standards of services such as public toilets.
Product Check
Every week the Target test family test a chosen product. In this test about 5 brands of a particular product are tested by the family. The test is done by placing each brand on a colour coded dish with the members of the family not known what brand they are testing. Food items are usually taken to a lab to run other tests on the product as well. The test family are used for most product checks however for some products a group of students or experts in a particular industry may be used. The test family changes every year and is typically a nuclear familyNuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
with mostly teenage children.
Shame On You
Introduced in the 2007 Series, Brooke follows up on personal stories by consumers that have been ripped off, poorly dealt with or misled about a certain product. Some stories are not hard luck stories but just stories that cover wider issues and interviewing experts or affected parties. The dodgy operator is named.What's up with that?
An occasional feature on the show. What's up with that? looks at issues consumers may face. An example was one week a segment was covered on paying a fee for a cancelled appointment. Another example was retailers selling items marked as 'Not for Individual Sale' individually.Seconds Anyone
Part of the 2008 series, each week Jeanette looked at buying a particular item second hand. An expert told consumers what to look for, how much to expect to pay and which brands were the best to choose from.Things That Hack You Off
This was a segment in the 2006 Series, this segment covered anything that most likely 'Hacked' the consumer off, from slow service or poor service to parking fines.Know Your Rights
This was regular segment in all of the earlier seasons from 1999 to 2003. A role play was done with two actors who would get into a different situation each week and would then ask what their rights were in this situation, the screen would then cut to David RussellDavid Russell
David Russell may refer to:* David Russell , Anglican bishop* David Russell , Lance Corporal with the 22nd Battalion, New Zealand Infantry, 2nd NZEF* David Russell , classical guitarist...
from the Consumers Institute where David would explain what the consumers rights were in this situation. The role play would continue and as various points were raised once again David would explain the consumers rights in the situation.