Sharing footpath space
Update
18 December 2025
The Media Council has not upheld a complaint about this article noting the article fairly reported a community concern for the safety of pedestrians.
The photograph was useful as it clearly showed the potential hazard in a way that could be readily recognised by all readers. It was taken in a public place and capturing a scene that could have been witnessed by anybody else on the street at that time.
See: The gift with a risk
*HR against the Cambridge News
Case Number: 3798
Council Meeting: 1 December 2025
Decision: Not Upheld
Publication: Cambridge News
Principle:
- Accuracy, Fairness and Balance
- Privacy
- Children and Young People
- Comment and Fact
- Photographs and Graphics
Ruling Categories:
- Accuracy
- Balance, Lack Of
- Children and Young People
- Comment and Fact
- Photographs
- Privacy
- Unfair Coverage
Overview
1. The Cambridge News published an article on September 11, 2025, titled On the wrong path.
2. It was complained that the article breached Media Council Principles (1) Accuracy, Fairness and Balance; (2) Privacy; (3) Children and Young People; (4) Comment and Fact; and (11) Photographs and Graphics. The complaint is not upheld.
The Article
3. The story reported concerns that school children were riding bikes and scooters on footpaths in the town’s CBD. It ran with a photo showing three uniformed schoolboys, whose faces were pixelated, riding on the footpath near a pedestrian. It reported the issue persisted despite the construction of a new cycleway to safely guide cyclists through town.
The Complaint
4. *HR whose son was one of the schoolboys in the photo, complained the blurring of the boys’ faces was not adequate to protect their identities. The boys were well known, this was a small town, and their peers and networks could immediately recognise them. It was implied they were misbehaving when there was no proof of this as there was no designated cycleway on this road.
5. She challenged the morality of “planting photographers to capture clandestine imagery of young people going about their private business.”
6. She said the article also failed to investigate or discuss alternative safe options for these students and expressed concern that no effort was made to respond to or delete Facebook comments that the boys should be shoulder charged or have umbrellas poked into their wheels.
The Response
7. The Cambridge News believed the pixelation of the boys’ faces was sufficient although Cambridge was a small community where it was quite possible people would be able to recognise themselves.
8. The paper did not plant photographers to capture clandestine imagery as suggested. The photo was taken in a public place and “we are not obliged to seek authority to run a photograph of someone riding on a public footpath.” There was no evidence to show a breach of privacy.
9. The paper did not agree that the article was misleading or conclude that young people were not welcome. The article highlighted an issue in Cambridge. This was appropriate and had resulted in a healthy debate.
10. No evidence was presented to support the claim there was no social media moderation or violent discussions. There were 86 comments published online. This discussion analysed incidents of close calls, the availability of cycle ways in parts of Cambridge, questions about rules, warnings that someone could get seriously hurt and accounts of abuse from people riding on footpaths. One post saying, “shoulder charge fixes that” was considered flippant, rather than “violent discussion.”
The Discussion
11. The Media Council noted the article fairly reported a community concern for the safety of pedestrians. The photograph was useful as it clearly showed the potential hazard in a way that could be readily recognised by all readers. It was taken in a public place and capturing a scene that could have been witnessed by anybody else on the street at that time.
12. While the face of the leading cyclist was fully pixelated, the red helmet could be seen as well as the boy’s arms, legs and torso. It may have been best practice to use more pixelation to minimise the risk of identification although, even then, it was probably inevitable that he and the other two cyclists might have been recognised by some members of the community. Media Council Principle (3) Children and Young Persons says editors must demonstrate an exceptional degree of public interest to override the interests of the child or young person.
13. However, the Council took account of the effort made to protect the boys’ identities and the context. It did not show the boys being involved in anything that was awful or traumatic. It was unlikely to result in anything to their detriment beyond some minor embarrassment as they were reminded of the need to take care and not ride on the footpath through that part of town.
14. The Media Council considered the story, and its accompanying photograph, was published in the public interest as it underlined a simple safety message. The use of this image did not breach Principles (3) or (11).
15. The Council was also not convinced there was evidence to show the article was inaccurate, unfair, or unbalanced or that it breached any of the other principles cited in this complaint.
16. The Council understood *HR’s concern about some of the social media comments that were posted under this story. While the editor may regard the most provocative comments as flippant, those who are the target of the comments may really be worried and alarmed. It is a reminder that editors need to keep an eye on what they accept on social media threads.
Decision: The complaint is not upheld.
*Name withheld to protect the complainant
Council members considering the complaint were Hon Raynor Asher (Chair), Hank Schouten, Rosemary Barraclough, Tim Watkin, Guy MacGibbon, Scott Inglis, Deborah Morris, Ben France-Hudson, Jo Cribb, Judi Jones, Marie Shroff, Alison Thom, Richard Pamatatau
11 September 2025
Cambridge students can expect a “telling off” at upcoming school assemblies about riding bikes and scooters on footpaths in the town’s central business district.
A woman takes evasive action as student cyclists approach her on the eastern side of the Victoria St footpath. Photo: Supplied
Principals at two schools – Cambridge High and Cambridge Middle – say they have been reinforcing the message with students for years but will deliver it again.
Deb Hann
Earlier this year senior constable Deb Hann warned in her regular The News column that cyclists, and electric scooter riders, travelling at speed – often weaving through groups of pedestrians, was a continuing problem.
See: Community constable column
Police blitzed the CBD during Road Safety Week in May.
The issue persists, despite the presence of a $10.2 million cycleway designed to safely guide cyclists through town via Wilson, Duke, and Bryce streets.
Informants to The News are frustrated.
Greg Thornton
Over the course of a week, photos were taken before and after school showing how frequently cyclists and scooter riders – especially those on motorised scooters – opt for footpaths over the designated cycle lanes.
One woman said she tells students to get off their bikes and scooters but many just ignore her.
It is not only students on bikes and scooters – older cyclists on e-bikes have also been snapped riding on both sides of Victoria St through the CBD.
Cambridge High School principal Greg Thornton said he would reiterate expectations at assembly: students should not be riding on footpaths.
Cambridge News 11 September 2025
If specific students are identified, he said he is prepared to address the issue directly.
Cambridge Middle School principal Daryl Gibbs said the school has long operated under an unwritten rule: no riding through town on the footpath.
“At the start of the year, and other times through the year, we talk to the children about it to reinforce the message. We made a big deal out of it. We didn’t tend to hear of any problems unless members of the public identified kids on the pavement as being from our school.”
Since the cycleway was installed – partly to help Cambridge Middle School students travel safely to and from school – the message has been clear: use it.
Gibbs gives a talk at the start of the year and distributes maps showing the cycleway. The message is reinforced during the year.
Daryl Gibbs
Cambridge Community Board chair Jo Davies-Colley has been a long-time supporter of cycleways so children can safely go to and from school and enjoy the freedom of their own wheels.
“We love seeing our young people out and about, but to keep everyone safe we’d like to see bikes and scooters walked, not ridden, in this shared space.”
The cycleway is a safe and protected option where kids can enjoy the freedom of their wheels, she said.
Numbers on the up: The cycle racks at Cambridge Middle School are now full most days. Pictured two years ago were deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk at front of community board chair Jo Davies-Colley and Waipā Transportation programme engineer Erik Van Der Wel. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
