12 Feb 2026

Why are media naming the Christchurch Mosque Terrorist?

From Afternoons, 1:10 pm on 12 February 2026

The convicted murderer and terrorist who killed 51 worshippers in a Christchurch Mosque, Brenton Tarrant, is back in court attempting to overturn his guilty pleas so he can stand trial instead. This is a really fraught case for many of you and we've been inundated with messages from you asking why we are using Tarrant's name in our coverage. We decided it would be good to explain how such editorial decisions are made. Jane Patterson is one of RNZ's most senior journalists, she's our former Political Editor and is now RNZ's Director of Editorial Quality and Training. Jane chats to Jesse.

Jane Patterson smiling with grey background

Photo: RNZ / Jeff McEwan