New Zealand Cricket has warned it could "review its relationship with Magic Talk" after an "indefensibly racist exchange" between host John Banks and a caller on one its talkback shows on Wednesday.
A TikTok user uploaded a video of them listening to the station on Tuesday while driving in their car, capturing shocking remarks from a caller named Richard, speaking to fill-in host Banks.
"This notion that Māori are victims... they're victims of their own genetic background. They're genetically predisposed to crime, alcohol and underperformance," the caller can be heard saying.
"Educationally, they just do not have the - they're Stone Age people from a Stone Age culture and I'm not interested one bit, and neither have my children been interested in, their Stone Age culture."
Banks then chimed in: "Just a minute, just a minute. Your children need to get used to their Stone Age culture because if their Stone Age culture doesn't change, these people will come through your bathroom window... exactly, Richard. And thanks for the call."
The comments have provoked a huge social media backlash. Vodafone and Kiwibank have both suspended their advertising and are in conversation with MediaWorks about their approach moving forward.
NZ Cricket (NZC) is the latest organisation to have expressed its outrage, saying it has asked for an explanation and "reserves its right to review its relationship with Magic Talk", which is in the first year of a new three-year deal as the official broadcasters for all Blackcaps games.
"NZC is disgusted and appalled by an indefensibly racist exchange between a talkback caller and host John Banks on MagicTalk Radio," it writes in a tweet.
"NZC has contacted the station to both ask for an explanation and express its dismay over comments completely at odds with our values and culture.
"Should strong action not be taken NZC reserves its right to review its relationship with Magic Talk."
Speaking to Newshub, an NZC spokesperson refused to go into further detail on what it meant by "strong action", but says it eagerly awaits Magic Talk's next course of action.
Banks issued an apology on-air on Wednesday, saying he "didn't pick up" on the caller's "denigrating remarks" about Māori at the time.
"His comments were wrong and racist, and they have no place on this broadcast," Banks said.
"I also made some generic negative statements about Māori people and practices that could have been misconstrued as racist, and I apologise for that. It's not my intention, I'm not racist."
A spokesperson for MediaWorks Radio told Newshub the company recognised that the comments that were broadcast were "hurtful" and that Banks had "unreservedly apologised".
MediaWorks confirmed that Banks had been filling in for the show's regular host Peter Williams, but that Leah Panapa would be taking over for the remainder of the week.
