Maori Party Questions TVNZ’s Maori Programme Strategy

Dr Pita Sharples, Co-leader, Maori Party

Friday 31 August 2007

The Maori Party has today confirmed it is seeking briefings from both TVNZ and Te Mangai Paho for the MPs to fire questions around TVNZ’s new Maori programming strategy.

“Whilst we are obviously pleased to see the commitment to increase the coverage of Maori programming, we know that it’s more than a matter of adding hours to the menu offered Maori” said Dr Sharples. “A huge factor in any Maori programming strategy is in the quality of the menu provided” said Dr Sharples.

A Leopard Never Changes its Spots

“From what we’ve heard on the grapevine, the only Maori that will be able to watch Te Karere, TVNZ’s flagship news programme, is if they set the alarm for the crack of dawn; stay up to catch the midnight repeat, or give up their job and catch the “breaking news” mid-afternoon” said Dr Sharples.

Te Karere will broadcast at 3.45pm from next month, with replays at midnight and 5.45am the following morning.

“This is absolute rubbish and just more of the same belittling of Maori that we saw with the infamous episode earlier this year, defining “Maori content” as the Maori who featured on programmes like Police 10/7 and Game of Two Halves. It means that Maori news will effectively be out of reach for most Maori”.

“We have also heard that TVNZ’s classic favourite, Marae, will be cut down to half an hour, and that Waka Huia is being moved to a commercial time slot, with hours reduced as well” said Dr Sharples. “Waka Huia has been on our screens for some twenty years; protecting and respecting Maori knowledge, like the much valued huia feather represented in the concept of a waka huia”.

“It is disappointing if the state broadcaster, through this latest decision, is seeking to limit what has been a highly valued resource for Maori”.

“Given the Chief Executive’s Performance in front of the Maori Affairs Select Committee, we are deeply suspicious of the motives for this ‘brand new approach’” said Dr Sharples. “As the saying goes, a leopard never changes his spots, but this one seems to have gone through a radical transformation in three months”.

The Cupboard is Bare

“The TVNZ network is making huge resource demands, given the call to triple their hours; and yet the base from which they will seek these resources, Te Mangai Paho, is presumably not about to receive three times their budget allocation to meet their demands” suggested Dr Sharples.

“It would appear, therefore, that TVNZ will have a convenient out, if the funder fails to meet their demands”.

“Our biggest concern is that we know the pool of resources for Maori broadcasting is limited; and while the aspect of competition is obviously part of a contestable market, any significant increase in funding to TVNZ (as this proposal requires) will have dire consequences between the networks, particularly of course for Maori Television”.

Charter Requirements Must be Honoured

“We are, however, pleased that TVNZ has finally decided to appoint a Maori Programming Commissioner and we hope that this position will assist TVNZ in understanding how to deliver on its charter requirement to “Ensure in its programmes and programme planning the participation of Maori and the presence of a significant Maori voice” said Dr Sharples.

“While we commend the intention of TVNZ to increase the breadth of their coverage, we would be concerned if depth and quality was compromised in the process” said Dr Sharples. “We will be consulting widely with those in the sector, and of course talking directly with TVNZ, and Te Mangai Paho to ensure that a significant Maori voice actually means something” said Dr Sharples.

“The Charter has to be honoured as integral to the values and objectives of the public broadcaster – alongside of commercial performance” said Dr Sharples. “This does not mean relegating Maori programmes into the depth of the night because of decisions based on spurious research or whether it will attract the advertising dollar”.

ENDS

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