TVNZ on Tuesday night screened a controversial lesbian kiss on Coronation Street in the programme's new 5.25pm time slot.
It was the first time the long-running British television show has been screened in its new slot, after it was moved to make way for MasterChef Australia.
Within an hour of the kiss between characters Sophie Webster, a religious schoolgirl, and her friend Sian Powers, the network had received calls.
A spokeswoman for TVNZ said the network abided by the Broadcasting Standards Authority guidelines for that time.
The BSA advises that until 8.30pm, broadcasters need to avoid screening material that will disturb or alarm children.
"We apply the broadcasting standards evenly and without discrimination so that a kiss is a kiss, whether it's between a same-sex couple [or] a man and a woman," the spokeswoman said.
Coronation Street's move to the earlier time slot upset fans of the programme, who sent TVNZ an avalanche of complaints about the soap being sidelined for the cooking reality show.
The online petition "Stop TVNZ moving Coro St from its regular timeslots" has received more than 6000 signatures from people begging the network to keep showing the programme at 7.30pm.
The shift raised concerns edits would be needed.
TVNZ said it expected to make "very few cuts" to Coronation Street.
Media commentator Martin Gillman said that the show would now be in children's viewing time.
"And these days any soap opera is going to contain more and more adult content in order to attract viewers," he said.
Family First spokesman Bob McCoskrie said the organisation was generally concerned about television content before 8.30pm; but not a lesbian kiss.
Mr Gillman said this was the "beginning of the end" for Coronation Street, because it would lose many viewers as a result of the time swap.
He said it was "just by chance" the first episode at 5.25pm was so controversial.
