Whakaata Māori cuts: Execs say impact will be ‘significant’; staff to get proposal this month

Whakaata Māori chief executive Shane Taurima (Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu). Photo / Whakaata Maori

Whakaata Māori’s leadership team has warned that the impact of recent funding cuts will be significant, as the organisation works through the last details of its change proposal to present to staff later this month.

The broadcaster’s chief executive (kaihautū) Shane Taurima and chairman Jaime Tuuta appeared before Parliament’s Māori Affairs Select Committee today, where they told MPs the recent 25% funding cut – around $10 million – was its key challenge.

Whakaata Māori announced plans late last month to almost halve its senior leadership team from seven to four roles and to produce fewer, high-impact projects in response to the cuts.

The organisation will also bring forward plans to move its exclusively reo Māori channel, Te Reo, to online-only. The shift was originally part of the company’s longer-term strategy.

“We continue to achieve and do the things that we need to do with limited resources [and] that cannot be sustained,” Tuuta said.

Taurima told the committee Whakaata Māori’s funding would reduce by around $6.3m at the end of this financial year, and by another $4m the following year.

“As our last resort, we’re now having to look at the wider organisation, and so we’re carrying out that review as we speak. We expect to be able to go back to our staff and to the organisation by the end of this month with a proposal.

“The impact that the funding loss will have on content, it will be significant. We’re still working through the exact reduction that will be made, but there will be a significant reduction in the investment in content.”

Speaking to reporters after facing the select committee, Taurima said staff were facing “a lot of uncertainty”.

“This is a last resort. We’ve looked at everything else possible that we can to achieve these cost savings. But, unfortunately, we’re now having to look at the wider organisation and structure and roles to understand how we can continue to deliver great Māori content within the funding parameters that have been set for us.

“We’re talking about significant change.”

Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tonga Tākuta Ferris described the funding reduction as “cutting Whakaata Māori at their knees” and said, for too long, Māori media has been inequitably funded.

“The last government set aside a temporary fix; we are demanding that this government make an enduring commitment,” Ferris said.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.