Sharples Pita: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Sharples Pita: Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:655;Page:4639] 
Hon Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. The Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill has emerged as a result of a parliamentary review. In coming to this review I have been thinking about some of the history before us that has helped to shape the modern-day Radio New Zealand. I think of the legendary Wiremu Parker of Ngati Porou who was the first appointed Maori reader and who maintained a strict vow to himself that he would never use a Pakeha word in his bulletins. I think of Ngati Kahungunu man Ted Nepia who during the 1950s broadcast a weekly 20-minute Maori current affairs programme Te Reo o te Maori from a Napier radio station. Then there was Bill Kerekere and Leo Fowler who took the large mobile broadcasting studio around New Zealand. Maori broadcasters who joined the section included Selwyn Muru Haare Williams Whai Ngata Hamuera Mitchell John Ropata Derek Fox Purewa Biddle Te Pere Curtis John Turei and Henare Te Ua. Radio New Zealand is all the better for the expertise of people such as Ana Tapiata and Eru Rerekura to name just a few. 
If a picture painted a thousand words the art gallery of Maori broadcast talent that has shaped Radio New Zealand would be full to overflowing. Taken together this history is a proud one that has carved out the broadcasting highway that we travel on. But the reality is that although the history of Maori broadcasting as a collective force can be recounted at any one time it was generally one or two individuals at best doing what they could to ensure that Maori programming was included as a key feature of a distinctive New Zealand radio voice. 
Even today in terms of current content Radio New Zealand has only about 5 or 6 percent of on-air time dedicated to Maori programming. We are proud of iwi radio stations and all the incredible achievements that the 22 Maori radio stations have demonstrated throughout Aotearoa. But Radio New Zealand has an independent and commercial-free public service broadcast for New Zealand and must firstly serve public interests. The Maori Party supports the view that Radio New Zealand should remain in public ownership but show a greater responsiveness to the needs and aspirations of all peoples of Aotearoa. Public interest includes the interests of our Treaty partners the 15 percent of the population who are iwi Maori. 
The bill amends the Radio New Zealand Act 1995 to provide for a new charter which resulted from a 5-yearly parliamentary review as required under section 7(4) of the Act. Neither the existing nor the proposed charter makes any mention of Te Tiriti o Waitangi although both contain provisions to reflect New Zealand’s cultural identity “including Maori language and culture”. It is the Maori Party’s view that signalling the Treaty of Waitangi in the charter might help Radio New Zealand to understand its statutory obligation better. It is the Crown’s duty as a Treaty partner to assist and support iwi and hapu to fulfil their responsibilities as guardians of their respective reo. 
Having consideration for the impact of Te Tiriti is not just about te reo but about Maori stories Maori shows Maori current affairs and Maori events. The Maori Party will therefore be putting forward a Treaty of Waitangi clause to be inserted in the charter to ensure that overarching decisions on Maori language and culture lie with Maori and that broadcast content upholds and promotes the Treaty relationship. The Treaty clause will ensure that overarching decisions on Maori language and culture lie with the Maori partner that future charter reviews require consultation with the Maori partner and that broadcasting services uphold and promote the Treaty relationship. However it is not just about introducing a Treaty clause; it is also about the participation and involvement of Maori in helping to ensure that the highway to the future for Radio New Zealand truly does reflect tangata whenua interests as the indigenous peoples of this great country. 
We were initially concerned that any statutory review of the Radio New Zealand charter could be conducted without being required to undertake any formal consultation with Maori. In getting to this stage Radio New Zealand conducted a preliminary review of the charter followed by public consultation on the reviewed charter. The new draft was considered by the select committee and is reflected in the bill. 
We believe that future reviews of the charter need to include consultation with Maori including Te Whakaruruhau. We appreciate that section 50 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 assesses the extent to which as an entity Radio New Zealand fulfils the charter expectations of its performance on an annual basis. We therefore recommend that annual assessments of performance against the charter should take Maori views into account. Future assessments should take into account the views of Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi Maori the national federation of Maori radio stations; Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori the Maori Language Commission; and Te Mangai Paho. 
Finally although much of the new charter is a tidy-up of wording and grouping of the provisions there seems to be only one notable deletion which is the programming of interests for minority audiences. We believe that we should reinstate a provision to provide programming of interest to minority audiences. 
We support the bill at its first reading but we want to make it quite clear that we require consultation to be undertaken with Maori separate to the select committee process. The Crown’s duty to protect and promote te tino rangatiratanga of iwi and hapu in respect of their taonga is also to be carried out by State-run cultural institutions such as Radio New Zealand. To ensure that that does take place we recommend in the strongest way that before the bill proceeds further specific and genuine consultation is undertaken with Te Puni Kokiri Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi Maori Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori and Te Mangai Paho. We will then look forward to seeing the considered views of Maori about the Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill when it comes before the select committee. Thank you.