Check the passage rather than guessing from one word
Pause and note the episode and timestamp. Replay a short section with the available captions, listening to the surrounding sentence where possible. A single unusual word may be a name, an expression in another language or a recognition error.
If using the programme for study or reporting, distinguish what the speaker appears to say from what the caption displays. Do not silently turn uncertain text into a confident quotation. Keep a brief note identifying the uncertainty so a later correction does not lose the original context.
Use a suitable reference for the detail
A programme's own episode description, credits or an official source associated with the named person can help confirm spelling. For a technical claim, look for the relevant primary record rather than treating the caption as an authoritative transcript.
This extra check is especially useful when a proper name affects a search, an attribution or a news summary. Correcting a name from context is different from rewriting an unfamiliar Māori word into the nearest English phrase. If uncertain, preserve the original issue and seek an appropriate source.
Send a concise correction request
TVNZ's caption help invites feedback through its contact form. Supply the programme, season, episode, timestamp and the displayed text. State the suspected correction and the source for it if one is available. This gives the caption team a specific passage to inspect.
Avoid sending a long unstructured account of the whole episode. A short description such as a person's surname at a particular time is easier to reproduce. Remove account information from screenshots and keep the submission focused on the caption, rather than attaching unrelated personal viewing history.
Keep accessibility and accuracy questions separate
If captions disappear entirely, use the service's availability and player-control guidance. If text is present but a word looks wrong, identify it as an accuracy issue. These are different faults and need different evidence.
For a group relying on captions, preview the chosen programme where practical and ask viewers whether the text is usable. The existence of a CC symbol establishes that a track is offered; it does not certify every word as correct or ensure that the presentation suits every viewer.
Questions about this guide
Does the CC symbol guarantee a perfect transcript?
No. It indicates caption availability, and TVNZ explicitly discusses possible accuracy limits.
What makes a correction report useful?
The exact episode, timestamp, displayed text and a supported proposed correction.