The review also found concerns in relation to mental health issues at the school. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
An independent review into the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch has found the school fosters a toxic learning environment, where sexual harassment, bullying and harmful behaviour was widespread among students.
The investigation, led by Richard Raymond QC, has found no evidence staff bullied or harassed students, but it has raised concerns about the culture within the institution and among a small minority of tutors.
Former student of the broadcasting school, Luke Hempleman, told Morning Report he studied there from 2017 to 2018.
"It's an incredibly competitive environment, like obviously, we are in an industry that's very competitive ... Broadcasting School is like a little microclimate of that.
"There's only limited amount of roles in various streams across radio journalism and television ... you're competing for the internship and the like, so I think that competitiveness alone can create quite a toxic or high stress environment."
He said because the course was mostly practical, it was akin to working a full-time job.
"A lot of big personalities seem to be attracted to work like this, and so I think there's a lot of egos that get thrown around, especially amongst the students and that can lend itself to bullying."
He said the onus was on the tutors to have a pastoral care responsibility to make sure students feel safe.
The New Zealand Broadcasting School is part of the Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch.
The review also found concerns in relation to mental health issues at the school and and Ōtautahi House, an accommodation facility for students at Ara.
"We are in an industry that's very competitive ... Broadcasting School is like a little microclimate of that" - Former student Luke Hempleman