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Maori TV to vet programme schedules
The Board of Maori TV is planning to vet the channel's programming schedule in the wake of 'Jonah from Tonga' controversy after the Board moved to axe the series following widespread complaints.
'Jonah from Tonga', an Australian produced mockumentary series, garnered criticism from the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Hon Alfred Ngaro and Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni for its racist stereotyping of Tongan rangtahi.
Maori TV Chair Georgina Te Heuheu says if the Board had of known about the series content it would've blocked it from the get-go..
She says plans are in place so this doesn't happen again including vetting the programming schedule.
I think all boards would have an expectation that they'd have advance notice. That sometimes does not necessarily happen but we will look closely at our forward programme schedule. Yes absolutely.
Georgina Te Heuheu says the Maori TV mandate is about the promotion of te reo me ona tikanga and Jonah doesn't meet the mandate.
Theres an upside in reminding ourselves of our purpose in life and that's our purpose. If you want to consider whether or not, which we did, the Jonah series fits with that purpose then the answer is really quite simple," she says.
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