August 31, 2016
Radio NZ teams up with iwi stations
Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi has signed a memorandum of understanding with Radio New Zealand which should lead to a co-working relationship between iwi stations and the national broadcaster.
The agreement came after the Maori radio umbrella group criticised changes in RNZ National's approach to Maori content, including its dropping of daily Te Manu Korihi bulletins.
The 21 Maori radio stations which make up Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi will get access to RNZ's programming and journalism, as well as working with the RNZ news team to cover Maori stories in a more collaborative way.
RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson says it's the start of a journey.
"We're the nation's public broadcaster and we need to lift our game in terms of our coverage of te ao Maori. This is an agreement that will allow us to do that so it is about sharing expertise and stories our people and our knowledge and I think together we can be more powerful," he says.
Paul Thompson says iwi stations will also tap into RNZ’s expertise at transforming itself from a radio broadcaster into a multimedia content creator.
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