Māori Television
Māori Television is a New Zealand television channel that broadcasts programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture. Funded by the New Zealand Government, it commenced broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from its studios in Newmarket, Auckland. It has since moved to East Tamaki, Auckland. History. Māori Television was launched on 28 March 2004 and attracted 300,000 viewers in its second month of operation. The main channel attracts 1.5 million viewers each month, including half of all Māori aged five or more, and one-third of all New Zealanders. Te Reo , a second channel from Māori Television, was launched on 28 March 2008. In contrast with the main channel, it is ad-free and completely in the Māori language (without subtitles). Te Reo features special tribal programming with a particular focus on new programming for the fluent members of its audience. Operations. The channel operates under the stewardship of the New Zealand government, and the Māori Television Electoral College (Te Putahi Paoho). As of 2021 it had a budget of NZ$19.24 million. In July 2015, Māori Television's seven-member board of directors decided that Hamilton or Rotorua could be a  new home for the broadcaster. Ratings. A survey by Business and Economic Research Limited found that 84% of the general New Zealand population think Māori Television should be a permanent part of New Zealand broadcasting. Māori Television continues to attract an increasingly broad audience across ages, genders and ethnicities. More than two-thirds of its audience are non-Māori. They are drawn by the channel's local programming, such as "Kai Time on the Road", "Kete Aronui" and "Ask Your Auntie;" New Zealand movies and documentaries; and the diverse range of international features not seen on other NZ networks. Mission . The channel aims to revitalise Māori language and culture through its programming. The relevant legislation says "The principal function of the Service is to promote te reo Māori me nga tikanga Māori (Māori language and culture) through the provision of a high quality, cost-effective Māori television service, in both Māori and English, that informs, educates, and entertains a broad viewing audience, and, in doing so, enriches New Zealand's society, culture, and heritage". Controversies. Canadian John Davy was appointed chief executive of Māori Television in 2002. However, it was found that his qualifications were false — he claimed to hold  a degree from "Denver State University" which did not exist — and he was fired. In 2005, newsreader Julian Wilcox was fired (and reinstated) after he contributed to information provided to other media that led to negative coverage of the channel. That same year, "Te Kāea" presenter Ngarimu Daniels was banned from taking part in protests, and her partner was referred to as a "dyke" by a senior channel manager. She was awarded $16,000 compensation, and her partner, Leonie Pihama, a leading Māori academic and film-maker, resigned from the channel's board, citing a conflict of interest. In 2015 , the channel's star broadcaster, Mihingarangi Forbes, resigned after complaints arose that senior management (including CEO Paora Maxwell) were attempting to shut down a story critical of the Kohanga Reo National Trust Board to be broadcast on her show "Native Affairs". An external consultant recommended to the channel's board that reporting "not challenge and critique one another", leading some (including commentator Morgan Godfery) to question whether journalists at Māori Television had the necessary freedom to report on the failures of elders in Māoridom. "Native Affairs" and other current affairs programming was later cut back or cancelled altogether, a decision  criticised by Green MP Marama Davidson. In 2019, the channel offered candidates for the Auckland mayoralty the opportunity to pay $500 to be interviewed and to have that interview broadcast on its TV and digital platforms, an offer one candidate described as close to "extortion".