MAORI TELEVISION SERVICE 5/5

MAORI TELEVISION SERVICE
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What is the government doing?
The government is establishing a high
quality, cost effective, Maori television service in both Maori and English,
which will inform, educate, and entertain and in doing so reflect and enrich NZ
society, culture and heritage.

What is the Maori Television Service?
The Maori Television Service
will be a statutory corporation with a seven member board, three of whom will be
appointed by the government and 4 of whom will be appointed by an electoral
college of Maori organisations.

Why do we need a Maori Television Service?
Maori culture and
language matters to Maori and New Zealanders as a whole. It is a critical part
of the unique identity of New Zealand. The service will give tikanga Maori and
te reo a strong, independent voice, which is not diluted by the constraints and
competing priorities which inevitably apply to a mainstream commercial
broadcaster.

Both the Crown and Maori recognise obligations to protect and promote te reo
Maori as a taonga. The government gave undertakings in the Broadcasting Assets
case in 1991 to provide for Maori television as one means of meeting this
obligation. A Maori Television Service will ensure a dedicated channel for
broadcasting Maori programmes, in both te reo Maori and English, to Maori and
non-Maori alike. Maori programming at peak times is unlikely to occur on
mainstream television. Maori television will help present New Zealand's stories,
perspectives, heritage, culture and languages on air.

Why a statutory corporation?
The Government will be a partner with
Maori in establishment of the Maori Television Service. There are unique aspects
of this entity, such as the appointment of four board members by the Maori
electoral college, which makes it appropriate that it is set up under its own
legislation.

Who owns the Service?
The Maori Television Service will be a
statutory corporation. Issues such as ownership will be specified in the Maori
Television Services Act, to be introduced to the House this year.

Who controls the Service?
The Service will be governed by the seven
member board. The board will set the direction for the television service, make
high level strategic decisions and monitor its performance. One of their key
tasks will be to employ a chief executive to put in place the necessary
personnel support to enable a fully functional channel to go to air.

What will the Electoral College do?
The functions and duties of the
Electoral College will include:

• Appointing and dismissing the four directors for the Maori Television
  Service; and
• Receiving updates on progress towards the establishment of the Maori
  Television Service;
• Appointing 3 members to the "Kaitiaki Trust", which will hold the management
  rights for the UHF frequency bands and assign them to the Maori Television
  Service.

Who will be able to receive the channel?
We hope that the service
will be available across all of New Zealand and practically accessible to as
many people as possible. Approximately 70 per cent of New Zealand households
should be able to receive the channel on UHF frequencies. The channel could also
be simulcast on a digital satellite service.

Who is going to watch it?
All New Zealanders with an interest in
our people, our communities, our culture, our heritage, and our future.

Will it be in Maori or English?
The service must place a strong
emphasis on the promotion of te reo Maori. There will, however, also be Maori
interest programmes broadcast in English.

What about TVNZ?
TVNZ will continue to produce its own original
Maori programmes, at least to current levels after the new service has started.
TVNZ will have charter commitments to meet. TVNZ will continue to receive
funding for Maori programming.

What changes can we expect to see in relation to Maori television
programmes on other channels?
The Maori Television Service will be
broadcasting Maori programmes at peak times for its audiences. This means that
programmes currently broadcast on other channels can also be broadcast on the
Maori Television Service. Apart from programme funding toward TVNZ programmes,
other programmes commissioned by Te Mangai Paho or NZ on Air are likely to be
screened for the first time on the Maori Television Service.

Does this end litigation?
Many people have worked hard to get to
this point, Government and key Maori stakeholders. The Maori Television Trust,
Te Awhiorangi, has agreed to "dissolve" so that this project can go forward.

How involved have Maori in the industry been?
Key Maori
stakeholders have been involved in developing this proposal. The Maori
Television Trust trustees have played a crucial role in negotiating with
Ministers and officials over the Service, as have representatives of key
national Maori organisations.

How much is it going to cost?
There are two types of costs: those
for operational purposes and funding for the production of Maori programmes.

Officials estimate that up to $6 million (GST incl) per annum will be
required to run the Maori television service and meet transmission costs.
Government set aside $10.863 million in 2001/02 and $10 million in years after
that for the Maori television channel. Given that the service will be in
establishment mode for the next few months, officials have estimated that
approximately $3.8 million of that will be required by the Board for the first
year. The remaining $7 million will go to funding programmes for future
broadcast on the Maori television service.

In terms of Maori programmes, approximately $22.9 million was allocated by Te
Mangai Paho and New Zealand on Air in 2000/01 for the production of Maori
programmes. Funding will continue to be allocated through Te Mangai Paho, and
while it is envisaged that the Maori Television Service will have a capability
to make inhouse programmes, it is likely that most of the new programmes
broadcast on the new service will be produced by independent producers.

The Crown recognises that it still has an obligation to provide some Maori
programming on mainstream television as well. It is intended that in the future
this obligation will be met by ensuring that TVNZ continues to produce and
broadcast at least its existing level of inhouse production.

The objective is to enable the service to broadcast a minimum of three hours
a day of original programming by its third year. This will require up to an
additional $7.391 million (GST incl.) in 2002/03, up to $14.783 million in
2003/04, and $22.174 million in 2004/05 and out years.

Total funding available for Maori television programming will be ($million):

The bulk of this will be for Maori Television Service programming.

When does the Service go to air?
It is anticipated that the Service
will "go to air" in June 2002.

What happens next?

1. Legislation is being drafted to set up the Service and will be introduced to
   Parliament this year.
2. Key Maori organisations involved in promoting te reo Maori will be contacted
   this week in relation to their forming an interim electoral college (for the
   transition period prior to the enactment of the Maori Television Service Bill)
   and agreement to be included in the Act as forming the full Electoral College.

How does this differ from Aotearoa Television?
Governance
structures within this new service will be rigorous. Appointees to Board will be
rigorously scrutinised, by the government and the electoral college, to ensure
they have necessary experience and acumen. The statutory nature of the service
ensures its transparency and accountability.