New channel an avenue for te reo

By CHERIE TAYLOR

Performing arts student Tatum Roxburgh is excited about the opportunities a new te reo Maori television channel may offer.
The new channel is expected to create employment opportunities for te reo speakers and for production companies around the country, with most of the programmes to be produced within communities.
The 17-year-old has just completed a Certificate in Performing Arts at Rotorua's Te Wananga o Aotearoa campus and is about to start a Manaakitanga programme which covers Maori culture, te reo and performing arts.
She's aiming for a career in front of the camera and is buzzing about the new Maori channel.
"I think it will offer many of us experience we wouldn't be able to get. It will be a good platform for us. I'd love to present a show," she said.
Having a new channel dedicated to Maori would be of advantage to all New Zealanders, Miss Roxburgh said.
"It will help people understand Maoritanga and te reo."
Mereana Williams, 20, is completing a Bachelor Degree in Performing Arts and hopes to head into television in the future.
She said the new channel would help Maori retain their language.
"It will be good for everyone. I lost my te reo when I was little. A lot of people who are learning the language will enjoy having a channel dedicated to te reo."
Maori Television hopes to have the new te reo channel on air by next March.
Maori Television chief executive Jim Mather said it was a time of "incredible celebration" for all those involved.
"We have stood the test of time. Today we are showing te reo is part of the fabric of this country's history," he said.
More than 170 people are employed by Maori Television. Board member, Amohaere Houkamau said the new all-Maori channel would generate employment opportunities for te reo speakers.
At least 90 per cent of the programmes would be from local communities with iwi profiling tribal activities and developments, ensuring tribal dialects in programmes.
"This will provide more work for local production houses. This is a taonga for Maori ... This journey has been a long journey ... ensuring the survival of a language is important for the survival of a people. By retaining our reo we have provided a gift that is unique," she said.
The channel will operate three hours daily during prime-time viewing from 7.30pm-10.30pm with plans to extend hours at a later date. It will cost $3 million annually to run and will transmit through Freeview with no advertisements.