Ban first, explain never: The Kiwis losing work, memories and community to Meta
Friday, 20 March 2026
Gardens, puppies and ocean swims — that is the extent of Carmen Bailey’s Instagram, she says. Yet she has been banned.
Photographer and content creator Brad Roberts uses the platform for work, posting wedding shoots and school sports days. He has also been locked out.
Katherine*, 80 and disabled, relies on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected. After a fraught exchange with a buyer on Marketplace, she believes she was reported — and removed.
They are among a growing number of New Zealanders who say they have been abruptly and unfairly ejected from Meta’s platforms, with little explanation and no meaningful path to appeal. They’ve been left anxious and socially isolated by the decision.
Read More:
Banned: professional photographer locked out of Instagram, Facebook over fake child abuse claim
From New Zealand to the courtroom: A Kiwi investigates big tech
One photographer’s case underscores the stakes.
He had his account suspended without evidence and has just been informed his appeal was rejected,and his account would be permanently suspended.
“The outcome that has happened did not even cross my mind as a possibility,” he said.
The photographer had his account blocked six weeks ago after sharing a picture he took at work of teenagers doing manus of the bridge at Waitangi. In a notification, he says, Meta wrongly accused him of distributing child exploitation material.
After growing frustrated at the protracted appeals process, he turned to The Post for help. But after being contacted for comment, Meta’s Australasia head of communications, Joanna Stevens, suggested the newspaper was using “blackmail” to get the account restored.
After continued silence from Meta about his case, yesterday The Post emailed Stevens asking for an update.
Less than 30 minutes later, Stevens emailed the photographer directly: his account would remain permanently suspended. Citing “security and safety policies”, she did not provide a reason.
The decision has cost him 18 years of photos, messages and contacts.
“I absolutely did not expect it to go this way at all. I expected it to be a whoops — our AI system got it wrong. Your account’s been unbanned.”
He is now trying to recover his data.
“I still feel like I have a right to access everything that I have ever posted on that platform.”
Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson is distancing himself from Kiwis’ experiences.
Do you have a story about big tech or social media? Email amelia.wade@thepost.co.nz
When The Post asked whether he had concerns about how Meta was operating, he said simply: “If a Meta user feels they have had their account wrongly deactivated I’d encourage them to continue engaging directly with Meta to seek reactivation.”
But for many, that route appears ineffective.
Roberts’ account was suspended the day after he photographed a school sports event in Porirua. He has received no explanation. Locked out, he has lost access to client work and contacts.
“I have potentially lost business work from not having access to my Meta accounts.”
The impact has extended beyond work. His pastor contacted him, concerned about his wellbeing.
“Messenger is huge for me… having lost access is highly destabilising.”
He has tried repeatedly to contact Meta, without success.
“I am that kind of someone who would fly to San Francisco to talk to someone, anyone about getting this sorted.”
Bailey, 61, has spent weeks trying to understand what triggered her ban. One theory is that Meta’s systems flagged her as a bot after she rapidly tagged friends in a lingerie giveaway.
“It’s really my personal online photo album… seriously nothing offensive at all,” she says.
It also holds photos of her late mother.
“I find it astounding you can run a business in this day and age and not care or respond.”
Katherine believes her removal stemmed from a Marketplace dispute. After a buyer delayed and then attempted to haggle at her home, she told them to “piss off”. Soon after, her account was permanently disabled.
“They don’t give you an explanation and they don’t tell you why… it’s so unfair.”
For her, the loss is acute.
“Facebook’s my life… it’s my way of keeping in touch with family and friends… all over the world.”
Meta’s processes have left the Kiwis feeling like they have nowhere to turn.
The Commerce Commission has received 13 complaints about Meta in the last year - but no further action was taken by the watchdog because its view is that these matters were private disputes over the application of terms and conditions.
The commission’s head of fair trading and product safety investigations, Simon Pope, said: “We do not believe they are matters that fall under the Fair Trading Act, nor do we currently have any information before us to suggest the terms are in any way unfair.
The Fair Trading Act is primarily concerned with trader behaviours that are likely to mislead consumers about the price, performance, or suitability for a purpose of their purchas, for example, misleading pricing, Pope said.
Stevens said the accounts referenced in this story had been escalated for review.
University of Otago senior lecturer Michael Daubs told Stuff Meta relies on proprietary AI systems to scan content as it is uploaded, flagging material deemed problematic.
But those systems are not infallible.
“It’s not uncommon for AI tools to misidentify things,” he said, noting examples where image-recognition systems have mistaken benign images for nudity.
The consequence, in these cases, is immediate and difficult to reverse.
*Name changed to protect her identity.