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An experienced Maori broadcaster has defended the practice of dubbing overseas cartoons into Maori.
Waikato University Masters graduate Kristin Ross has criticised the practice, saying tamariki need to see Maori heroes, and Maori Television was putting economics before authenticity
But Stacey Morrison, who researched the topic for the Maori Television Service, says pre-schoolers who watch dubbed programmes like Dora the Explorer, which addresses its audience directly, will pick up more Maori words than those who don’t.
"We have to try to achieve our objectives by going with what kids will watch, what actually does benefit them in terms of te reo, and my feeling is that by putting te reo Maori in a context that is the same as other global shows they are used to, they can see that te reo Maori does have a context and a place in the wider world and it is just as good as other shows that they enjoy," she says.
Stacey Morrison says animation is expensive, and it’s important the Maori broadcaster uses its resources to reach audiences rather than score ideological points.
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