Posted Tuesday 28 May 2019
Māori screen practitioners are having to wait until the end of the year for decisions on the promised overhaul of the Māori Media sector in the review being conducted by Te Puni Kōkiri. Minister for Māori Development, Hon. Nanaia Mahuta has said the recently published Māori Sector Review report published was a backgrounder to the existing state of the Māori Media industry. However, Māori media were hoping for more concrete indication of change, said Hineani Melbourne, chair of Māori screen organisation Ngā Aho Whakaari.
"While the report acknowledges the disparity in budgets between Māori productions, often 40% - 60% less than mainstream, there are no solutions offered, said Ngā Aho Whakaari chair, Hineani Melbourne.
"The report talks of the need for collaboration between sectors such as with Radio NZ and NZ On Air, yet these organisations don't have a strong track record of supporting Māori content or aspirations," Melbourne said.
The report stated there was a need to identify the most effective and efficient way of funding and producing te reo Māori and tikanga content, which required structuring the sector. However, equitable funding was "the starting point", said Ngā Aho Whakaari executive director Erina Tamepo.
"Māori content producers are passionate about te reo Māori and tikanga Māori content, usually working for less money and accepting financial insecurity in order to produce the best content possible."
Ngā Aho Whakaari (NAW) said positives in the Review included the need for on-the-job education and training and that the report included a positive response to NAW's campaigning on the importance of archiving Māori content with access for Māori media.