Henare Tau: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
Henare Tau: Debate on Crown Entities Public Organisations and State Enterprises — In Committee 
[Volume:639;Page:9016] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 I want to talk about the figment of people’s imagination Te MangaiPaho— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: It doesn’t exist in statutes. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: —the organisation we have come to know as Te MangaiPaho as my colleague corrects me. I want to say right off that it is the only charter station we have in New Zealand—Maori Television. That has been able to happen because of the sterling work that Te MangaiPaho has been able to do in channelling its funding into what I think is a wonderful wonderful thing for this country: Maori 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 Maori Television Service—and Te MangaiPaho 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 Maori content in broadcasting both on radio and in TV. Although I have my doubts whether the radio component is doing as well as Maori TV— 
Hon Members 
: Now now now! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: 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 Ngati Hine radio Radio NgatiPorou and the one up north. What is it called? 
Hone Harawira 
: Te Hiku. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Te Hiku. 
But I really want to say that I think that Te MangaiPaho is wasting a bit of money in funding the Maori content for Television New Zealand. I think that what we have seen in Television New Zealand—and this is not particularly Te MangaiPaho’s fault and not particularly the Maori part of Television New Zealand’s fault but it is Television New Zealand management’s fault—is that for a long time the Maori content has been ghettoised. Now we have Maori 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 Maori 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! 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: 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 MangaiPaho and its good work.