WELLINGTON: Radio New Zealand’s decision to stop broadcasting Waatea News bulletins as a cost-cutting measure needs proper scrutiny, says the Māori Party.
“Māori voices are not well represented on Radio New Zealand,” said Maori Party language and culture spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell.
“Māori groups have fought long and hard for access to the airwaves, and met staunch resistance from mainstream radio,” he said.
“Māori language and viewpoints are almost entirely absent from commercial radio, and are confined to ghetto slots on National Radio,” he said.
“Radio New Zealand is supposed to fulfil the Crown’s obligations to protect and promote te reo Māori through broadcasting. Those obligations are set out in a series of court decisions in cases that went from the Waitangi Tribunal to the Court of Appeal, as far as the Privy Council and back.
“The decisions refer to the requirements on public broadcasters, as well as iwi radio. But it seems Radio New Zealand is ignoring its legal obligations, which could leave ministers open to attack.
“The amount of Māori language broadcast on National Radio is derisory, and, apart from Waatea News, their only regular Māori programming is broadcast on Sunday evening when the audience is relatively small.
“The result is monocultural programming that gives Māori listeners very little confidence that Radio New Zealand can clearly and fairly represent Māori viewpoints in news that they produce themselves.
“With this move coming on top of his recent decisions to abandon the TVNZ charter, the Minister of Broadcasting is almost challenging Māori to take the whole issue of Māori voices on mainstream broadcasting back to the courts for a review,” said Flavell. - Māori Party/Pacific Media Watch
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Pacific Media Watch
