Established in 2004, Maori Television has had a major impact on the New
Zealand broadcasting landscape. But over the past year or so, the
politics of Maori Television have been brought to the foreground of
public consciousness, with other media outlets tracking Maori
Television's search for a new CEO, allegations of editorial intervention
and arguments over news reporting approaches to Te Kohanga Reo National
Trust. Based on a Marsden Grant and three years of interviews with key
stakeholders - staff, the Board, other media, politicians, funders and
viewers - this is a deep account of Maori Television in its first ten
years. Jo Smith argues that today's arguments must be understood within
a broader context shaped by non-Maori interests. Can a Maori broadcaster
follow both tikanga and the Broadcasting Standards Authority? Is it
simply telling the news in Maori, or broadcasting the news with a Maori
perspective? How can it support te reo Maori at the same time as appeal
to all New Zealand? How does it function as the voice of its Maori
stakeholders? Offering five frameworks to address the challenges of a
Maori organisation working within a wider non-Maori context, this is a
solidly researched examination of Maori Television's unique contribution
to the media cultures of Aotearoa New Zealand.
