Maori TV defends travel bills

State-owned Maori Television spent $161,000 flying managers and staff around the world to conferences and media events in the past year.

Tawini Rangihau, a former boss at the ill-fated Aotearoa Television Network, has been to conferences in the United States and Australia in her new job as Maori Television general manager of reo and programming.

She was joined by chief executive Jim Mather in the United States, where the pair ran up a travel, accommodation and meals bill of $21,562.

Ms Rangihau was last month at the centre of a personal grievance action taken by newsreader Ngarimu Daniels, in which she was alleged to have called Ms Daniels' board member partner a "dyke" and said they could not control their pillow talk.

National Party broadcasting spokesman Murray McCully attacked the spending as "extravagant".

"Most people would understand that the purpose of the Maori Television service is to foster the Maori language, which is to be found in New Zealand.

"The last thing you'd expect them to be spending taxpayers' money on is extravagant overseas travels, and especially attending the lavish overseas film festivals."

An Official Information Act response shows most of the travel was to broadcasting conferences and festivals in the Netherlands, France, Australia, the US and Canada.

Less than $20,000 was spent sending crews to cover news stories, and less still on current affairs or sport. Barry Russ, the general manager of operations, led a crew that broadcast the NZ Maori rugby match from Fiji.

Mr Mather said Maori Television was well managed and fiscally responsible. Any travel was taken after careful consideration.

The benefits were reflected in the quality of programming, skills acquired, partnerships forged and profile developed, he said.

"I am very comfortable that this expense is at an appropriate level."

Mr Mather said much of the travel was to buy reasonably priced overseas shows such as My Mother India, Return of the Navajo Boy and Caribou Kayak.

These were primarily documentaries about other ethnicities who faced similar issues to Maori.

Attendance at conferences allowed Maori Television to develop international networks and share experience and expertise.

Maori Television was recognised internationally as a successful indigenous broadcaster and was invited to events such as INPUT in San Francisco, where it took a lead in setting up the International Indigenous Broadcasters Network, Mr Mather said.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY