Debate on Crown Entities, Public Organisations,and State Enterprises — Te Reo Whakapuaki Irirangi (Te Māngai Pāho)

I want to talk about the figment of people’s imagination, Te Māngai Pāho—

💬 Hon Maurice Williamson: It doesn’t exist in statutes.

—the organisation we have come to know as Te Māngai Pāho, as my colleague corrects me. I want to say right off that it is the only charter station we have in New Zealand—Māori Television. That has been able to happen because of the sterling work that Te Māngai Pāho has been able to do, in channelling its funding into what I think is a wonderful, wonderful thing for this country: Māori TV.

Just as an example of that, I cite the all-day coverage of Anzac Day. You know, when we awoke on Anzac Day this year and last year, we saw wall-to-wall coverage of old soldiers’ stories and of everything that was nice about Anzac Day. So on behalf of my colleagues in the National Party I officially congratulate the Māori Television Service—and Te Māngai Pāho, which played a very important part in it—on a job well done.

I worry that we have an organisation that is there to fund the Māori content in broadcasting, both on radio and in TV. Although I have my doubts whether the radio component is doing as well as Māori TV—

💬 Hon Members: Now, now, now!

Members say: “Now, now, now!”. We are not allowed to criticise, eh? But the fact of the matter is that some—and I am not saying all, so I would not be too defensive—of those radio stations do need the proverbial kick up the backside. Some, however, are using the money they get to offer their communities of interest a real service, and I applaud them for that. To name but a few, there is Ngāti Hine radio, Radio Ngāti Porou, and the one up north. What is it called?

💬 Hone Harawira: Te Hiku.

Te Hiku.

But I really want to say that I think that Te Māngai Pāho is wasting a bit of money in funding the Māori content for Television New Zealand. I think that what we have seen in Television New Zealand—and this is not particularly Te Māngai Pāho’s fault and not particularly the Māori part of Television New Zealand’s fault, but it is Television New Zealand management’s fault—is that for a long time the Māori content has been ghettoised. Now we have Māori TV, which as I said is doing a sterling effort. I watched the new programme and went to the launch of Native Affairs, which is an absolutely brilliant idea and a good use of Government money.

I think it is time to recognise that there really is only one charter television station in this country. That is Māori Television, and we should get behind it. OK, yes, in any Crown entity using Government money we have to go through a process of review—and that is what National will be doing when we become the Government after the next election. We will be going through the process of reviewing what is good and what is bad, to make sure that what is bad is put aside.

National does not have the view of Damien O’Connor, when he says to everything: “Get over it.” That is the stock answer of the Labour Government now when it is faced with trials and tribulations—“Get over it!”. Well, National will certainly be getting over it, under it, around it, and on top of it when we are the Government, because—

💬 Hon David Benson-Pope: Dream on!

Old “Spanky” says “Dream on!”. I will dream on, but not in the way that he thinks I will. All I can say is that the National Party supports Te Māngai Pāho and its good work.

First of all I want to thank the member the Hon Tau Henare. Let us not play politics about Māori Television. He was one of the ones who inspired the concept when he was Minister of Māori Affairs. I carried it on and it came to fruition.

He is quite right in regard to the premium presentation made by Māori Television in regard to Anzac Day. I think every New Zealander should be proud of the professionalism and the presentation that was made giving respect to the many of our tūpuna—many of our forebears—who went overseas and sacrificed their lives so that our country could be free in terms of expression and so we could regain and maintain our way of life.

I differ somewhat in respect of his comments regarding the contribution made by Television New Zealand in that I think Marae, Te Karere, and Waka Huia are also very, very premium and very professional presentations. I think it gives a balance. Although we all have the same whakapapa and the same orators, I think it is appropriate and very useful that we get a balance from professional people who are involved not only in television but in broadcasting.

I also want to say that I am certainly very encouraged about the value, the attitudes, and the way that Māori radio has covered many, many of the issues that are relevant to Māori right across the nation. My whanaunga are at Te Hiku o te Ika. Although we are right up at the top of the island, of course, we get firsthand news in terms of Māori activities and Māori events.

I thank the member for his very valid contribution to the debate and also the performance of Te Māngai Pāho. Kia ora tātou.

I want to take a very short call to echo the sentiments of both my ministerial colleague the Hon Dover Samuels and the member opposite the Hon Tau Henare, in terms of the positive comments they made about Māori Television’s coverage of Anzac Day. As a former Minister of Defence, I think it is pleasing to see that sort of quality coverage. It was consistent with the sort of coverage we saw after the tragic death of the Māori Queen, which again, I think, brought a new standard of coverage that was accessible to all New Zealanders. The feedback I still get—

💬 Hon Tau Henare: Public broadcasting.

It really was, and I think Māori Television managed to strike the balance, in its extended coverage of both of those events, of being accessible to all New Zealanders while showing genuine respect for the tikanga that underpinned the events. I simply wanted to add my voice to the acknowledgments of the good work that has been done there.

Report noted.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission)