Rejection angers Maori producers

By LOUISA CLEAVE

Award-winning Maori television producers have criticised the new Maori Television Service (MTS) for the way it decided which programmes would receive millions of dollars in financing.

The involvement as a consultant of Maori television producer Joanna Paul in the decision-making process has also caused concern among other established players in the industry.

At least one company has called in lawyers to glean information from the service over its commissioning of projects worth $7 million from the Government Maori broadcasting funding agency, Te Mangai Paho.

Spokesperson for Maori television Chris Wikaira was unavailable for comment.

Tainui Stephens, chairman of Nga Aho Whakaari, an organisation representing Maori in film and television, said there were industry concerns over the lack of communication by the service.

"One of the problems, I gathered, is that when Te Mangai Paho got into things it wasn't at the same time as MTS. There were differing points of view. One group liked a project, the other didn't."

Mr Stephens said he hoped MTS would have the appropriate senior executives in place before the next commissioning round, and would iron out its process.

"That too has contributed to some of the confusion.

"We know that Joanna [Paul] has some allies and some enemies, if you like, because they weren't sure if she was working for the channel or whether she was just a consultant."

A commissioning panel made up of former presenter Paul, MTS board chairman Derek Fox, board member Wena Tait and Te Mangai Paho television manager Huia Lambie heard proposals in late May.

Mai Media boss Graham Pryor said that during his pitch he asked Joanna Paul what role she had in the process, as it was not made clear and as a known television producer she could be considered in competition.

Before being made a consultant she had been in the running for a job at the service.

Mr Pryor, who had all four of his proposals rejected, was unhappy with the board's involvement in the commissioning process because he believed it was a role for management.

A full list of the winning proposals has not been released, but it is known that the MTS turned down ideas from leading Maori production companies who supply programming to the major free-to-air networks and were recognised at the recent New Zealand Television Awards.

Claudette Hauiti, of Front of the Box Productions, won the best entertainment award for Polyfest 2001. Her company is the largest producer of Maori sports programmes, including the Maori Sports Awards.

Her proposal for a sports show was turned down by the MTS, but she was not told why. She had an agreement with Sky TV and TV3 to use footage from big games, and had exclusive agreements with Maori sports organisations to cover games.

Claudette Hauiti said Mr Fox told her the panel had commissioned another company to make a sports programme.



Kiwa Productions head Rhonda Kite, also an award-winning producer, said companies whose proposals were rejected had been "cut off at the pass" when questioning the board and its decision-makers.

"This channel isn't just another channel. There needs to be more heart in this one and that's certainly not what we're getting," she said.

"There is an element of, 'If you stir it up too much you may have to question whether you have a future with Maori Television', and we all have to grapple with that. But we can't be held to blackmail by it either."

Joanna Paul said a letter to producers before the commissioning process stated the panel would be made up of board members and consultants.

"From the panel's perspective, it was the ideas that won the day. The best ideas. We are commissioning for a schedule, not for people to make only what they want to."

Mr Fox said the channel had to operate within the amount of funding from Government.

"The board made the decision earlier this year to seek programming at a cost of no more than $40,000 an hour, primarily because of the limited funding available to it. It was a way of trying to get as much programming as possible from the dollars we have available."

Mr Fox said that if the MTS commissioned programmes at the rates of mainstream channels if would be able to make a maximum of three hours and possibly as little as one hour of television a day.

Programmes cooking with gas

Cooking, travel and gardening shows are among the programmes chosen for the new Maori television channel.

Te Mangai Paho, the Maori broadcasting funding agency, has allocated $7 million towards programming in the first round of commissioning.

The Maori Television Service has not yet decided how it will broadcast its channel, but hopes to be on air by the end of the year.

It is understood the service's interim board is still keen on buying the TV4 signal, despite the Government directing it away from the deal because it would involve a trade-off with broadcaster CanWest for government radio frequencies.

In the meantime, filming will begin on productions as diverse as a youth sports programme about skateboarding to "an insight into the rapidly changing technological world and how it relates to Maori".

Programmes aimed at teaching people te reo, including a show aimed at strengthening the skills of teachers and parents, had been funded, said Te Mangai Paho chairman Toby Curtis.



Other shows included health, fitness and arts programmes.

Movies would be re-versioned into Maori.

Full coverage: Maori TV