Minister of Maori Affairs Pita Sharples has dismissed claims that jobs are to be axed at Maori TV’s Te Kaea and has given assurances that its news and current affairs programmes will continue.
I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the Tāmaki Makaurau debate on Native Affairs last night. Staff I spoke to had no idea these changes were being contemplated or announced. They read it in the newspaper. That makes me deeply suspicious of the real motives of the Maori Party and National Party who have come to see Native Affairs and Maori TV as a threat rather than the brilliant journalists they are.
The debate itself was wonderful. 4 passionate voices for Maoirdom and voters are spoiled for choice. I am to this day staggered that the Green Party membership pushed Marama Davidson so far down the list, she easily deserves to be in the top 10. I think she won the debate, but she certainly won’t win the electorate. The winner of the electorate will be Labour Party candidate Peeni Henare, who is incredibly strong and will beat out Maori Party candidate Rangi McLean who was missing in action for most of the debate. The Maori Party would have been deeply disheartened to see that they only had a 1 point lead over Henare. Internet MANA candidate Kereama Pene will pleased he has Party polled near the 2011 result as most MANA voters wouldn’t have a landline. They would be disappointed to not pick up a lot more party votes in Tāmaki Makaurau.
As far as I am concerned, Maori TV, Te Kaea and Native Affairs are not only the best Maori Broadcasters in NZ, they are one of the best NZ broadcasters in NZ. Their standard of journalism is the benchmark and Maori TV is one of the few jewels left in the Public Broadcasting crown.
Why on earth would you fix something that wasn’t broken?
My fear is that the Maori Party and National are planning to dumb down the debate by ‘Seven Sharping’ Native Affairs. To push the broadcaster into making them a ‘magazine styled’ show similar to the hate crime against public broadcasting that Seven Sharp has become.
We have seen time and time again this Government’s shrewd focus on killing off smart TV that asks questions and replacing it with pig swill. Native Affairs and Te Kaea are some of the few bastions of intelligent thoughtful journalism we have in NZ – why on earth would National and the Maori Party chose to meddle in that with plans that none of the staff were even aware of?
Why?
Why?…
Because they can!
Anything that puts them in a bad light is not in their interests, so has to go and bugger the viewers.
Arseholes!
I can’t fathom why they want a restructure. It can’t be for commercial reasons. They’re no under no obligation to make money. It can’t be for te reo reasons either – they have a second channel totally devoted to the language.
Only thing I can think of is their CEO wanting to impose TVNZ sensibility (some might call it senseless) onto MTS. Make him look like he’s doing something. Or maybe it’s payback – a witch hunt against those elements opposed to his appointment.
Georgina te Heuheu was appointed by National to the board . I think this is probably a reason for what is happening.
And just for some trivia: can people remember who replaced her as Min of Maori Affairs under Don Brash?
I think Te Heuheu & Sharples job – shared the MOMA position from 2008-2011. Te Heuheu sat in Cabinet. Sharples was on the outer.
The V-P of the Maori Party (surname: Gardiner?) Is also on the MTS Board. Plus I think Kohanga Reo National Trust is represented on the Electoral College.
“I am to this day staggered that the Green Party membership pushed Marama Davidson so far down the list’
This is an example where the Green Party suffers from being by far the most democratic political party in New Zealand. Every member gets to vote for the list candidates in top to bottom fashion. Prior to that a preferred list from each branch is created and aggregated to present as a guideline to members. This is hugely influential because it is put together by members of the branches who are most active anyway and they also the ones most likely to vote on the final list. However the only list that counts is the one that that individual members take part in. So the final list is influenced by demographics. One of the big challenges for the Green Party as it matures is to broaden this demographic. Members and the party are very welcoming to anyone who joins the party from whatever background and even more so when they don’t fit the stereotype. But it isn’t easy to reach across to your working class dairy farm worker, for instance.
On the good side, I would argue that anyone who wants to make a positive progressive change in society will have a bigger political impact by joining the Greens than any other party because not only is it extremely democratic, it also encourages members to contribute to policy making groups, another essential aspect of maturing as a party. As people will have noticed, the Greens have presented arguably the most sophisticated set of policies in this election thanks to this.
Dum them down then herd them like sheep. Native affairs is far to informative and cutting edge where journos get off their arses and dredge up real news , not pop schmuck. An informed proletariat is obviously not in someone’s best interests.
The polls on N8tvAffairs clearly show MAORI do not want our party to have anything to do with this national party, so Te Ururoa needs to come out & say even if it means we sit in the backbenchers, we will NOT go with National….The Tribe has already spoken….National is paru (dirty)…We already getting tainted, exit stage left….
What I want to say is people still haven’t picked up on what wasn’t in the emails….knowing the main actors ie JK & Co, how come the racial stuff has all been left aside or maybe diluted…of course this goes to the heart of every kiwi, brown or white. Too close to the truth I guess, maybe open up a whole new can of whip ass….our big white brother protecting us again…yeah right..
That’s the National Party way. Change something that isn’t broken.
‘Native affairs’ is way too balanced and insightful.
When Georgina changes it, she will instal an ascerbic right wing male dandy frontman, assisted by a female ‘fluff’ to laugh at and mollify his sexist, racist right-wing ranting.
In other words, ‘E whitu koi’ – Seven sharp in case you were wondering.
Dumbing down news to insubstantial fluff, inane sound-bites and lurching to the right. Is there no end to MSM manipulation in our so-called Kiwi democracy?
George Orwell predicted it as Newspeak “narrowing the range of thought” Thank goodness we have The Daily Blog as the sane voice of democracy in Aotearoa.
I get where you are going with this Sandwich, but there are NO ‘ascerbic right wing male dandy frontmen’ that are Maori, so your comment lacks credibility.
And any way, there are very few ‘fluff” Maori women my friend, that would put up with the sort of crap that Mike Hosking, or Paul Henry offer up as “news”.
I liked the fact that you at least tried to korero Maori. Tino pai.
Why do THEY want to change it…the same reason THEY got rid of channel 7 – it was actually informative, with a true NZ base.
Wish all New Zealanders could SEE that one of Nationals main priorities is to DUMB US DOWN. Life’s much easier for them that way.
I am a recent convert to Maori TV, love the doco’s, always prepared to cover stories TVNZ would not consider. Watched Utopia recently, congrats to you guys for airing this programme it was excellent. If that is another National tactic to rid itself of truth seekers then million times shame on them. I will march.
Denise
Kia ora whanau !
please support the kaupapa to keep Maori televisions maori news- TE KAEA- ON AIR!!!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-Te-Kaea-on-AIR/1556594207895871?ref=tn_tnmn
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