February 24, 2014
Outsiders called in to Taurima probe
Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta says a Labour strategy meeting last month on winning back the Maori vote was held at Mahurehure Marae.
Broadcaster and potential Labour Party candidate Shane Taurima quit his job at the state broadcaster after TV3 revealed some staff in TVNZ had used their work emails to help organise the hui.
Ms Mahuta says the impression that is being given is that it was held at TVNZ.
"Let’s be very clear, the meeting that’s referred to on the 18th of January was held at Mahurehure Marae, not on TVNZ premises.
It was in the weekend and anyone who attended was attending in their own time in their capacity as a Labour Party member," she says.
Ms Mahuta says in her experience of being interviewed by Mr Taurima he has always acted professionally and never shown a bias.
TVNZ has called in radio veteran Bill Francis and media law expert Steven Price to help it probe whether the former Maori and Pacific Island unit manager displayed political bias in his interviews over the past year.
The review panel, to be chaired by TVNZ legal and corporate affairs boss Brent McAnulty, will also look at whether there was misuse of company resources.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH NANAIA MAHUTA
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MTU3MDI=
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