Māori Television

Māori Television

Current Māori Television Logo
Launched 28 March 2004
Owned by New Zealand Government
Te Putahi Paoho
Picture format 576i 16:9
(anamorphic)
Country New Zealand
Website maoritelevision.com
Availability
Terrestrial
Free-to-air SD
Satellite
Free-to-air SD
Cable
Pay TV SD

Māori Television is a New Zealand TV station broadcasting programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture. Funded by the New Zealand Government, the station started broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from a base in Newmarket.

Programming

Budget

The station has an annual budget of $45m, almost one third of state spending on television in New Zealand.

Mission

To revitalise Maori language and culture through broadcasting. The relevant legislation says "The principal function of the Service is to promote te reo Maori me nga tikanga Maori (Maori language and culture) through the provision of a high quality, cost-effective Maori television service, in both Maori and English, that informs, educates, and entertains a broad viewing audience, and, in doing so, enriches New Zealand's society, culture, and heritage".

Stakeholders

Successes

Māori Television was launched on 28 March 2004 and attracted a cumulative audience of 300,000 in its first month on air (April 2004). The channel attracts 1.5 million viewers each month; half of all Māori aged five or more, and one third of all New Zealanders.[2]

84 per cent of the general population believes that Māori Television should be a permanent part of New Zealand broadcasting.[2]

Māori Television continues to attract a rapidly growing and increasingly broad audience across age, gender and ethnicities. More than two-thirds of the audience are non-Māori, who are looking for local programming such as Kai Time on the Road, Kete Aronui and Ask Your Auntie, many New Zealand movies and documentaries, and the diverse range of international movies and documentaries that normally would not get air-time on the main commercial networks.

Te Reo is the station's second channel, launched 28 March 2008. Te Reo is 100% Māori language with no advertising or subtitles featuring special tribal programming with a particular focus on new programming for the fluent audience.[3]

Executive Team

There are seven members of the board of directors. For more information on the Board and the Executive please go to Māori Television's website

Controversies

Originally, Canadian John Davy was appointed chief executive of Maori Television back in 2002. However, it was found that his qualifications were false (i.e. He had a degree from the 'Denver State University') and resigned in disgrace.[4]

Newsreader Julian Wilcox was fired and reinstated in 2005. Mr Wilcox was dismissed by Maori Television after Mr Wilcox contributed to information provided to other media leading to negative stories being broadcast and published.[5]

Maori TV presenter Ngarimu Daniels who was banned from taking part in protests and whose gay partner was referred to as a "dyke" by a senior MTS manager has been awarded $16,000. Leonie Pihama, a leading Maori academic and film-maker, resigned from the seven-member board citing a conflict of interest over an employment dispute taken against the network by her partner, Te Kaea news presenter Ngarimu Daniels.[6][7]

Notes

  1. ↑ NGATI NRL RETURNS TO MAORI TELEVISION at media.maoritelevision.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Maori Television Marks Fifth On-Air Anniversary". Throng. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  3. ↑ "Te Reo". Māori Television.
  4. ↑ Louisa Cleave (29 May 2002). "John Davy sent to prison for eight months". The New Zealand Herald.
  5. ↑ "Public Apology From Julian Wilcox". Scoop News, Press Release: Maori Television Service. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Beston, Anne (31 August 2005). "Maori TV presenter wins $16,000, right to protest". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Maori TV board member quits over job dispute". Employment relations news – NZ Herald. 1 July 2005.

External links