AUCKLAND (Radio New Zealand International/Waatea news.com/Pacific Media Watch):The Pacific Islands Media Association (PIMA) lodged a complaint with Australian broadcaster Fox Sport after continuous mispronunciation of Pasifika names during the Pacific Islands Rugby League Internationals in Sydney over the weekend.
In an interview with Radio New Zealand International, PIMA chair Will ‘Ilolahia said the commentators were “butchering” the names -and laughing at some - as they were saying it.
"To me it qualifies as a racist act because racism is when one particular culture or race feels that they can dominate the other and through te reo, language, it's just another method of perpetuating that racism so that's why we have actually said it's racist,” ‘Ilolahia told RNZI.
He continued saying commentators had been struggling to pronounce names correctly for years and it was time they learned with the increased presence of Pacific players at an elite level.
A comment on the PIMA Facebook page showed an apology email from Foxtel, which stated the company would be reviewing their coverage to improve in all areas of production.
PIMA has offered to train broadcasters on Pacific pronunciation.
Will 'Ilolahia's full interview with Radio Waatea
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