Maori TV vow to pull Jonah from Tonga after backlash

Australian actor and writer Chris Lilley dressed as Jonah from Tonga. Photo/YouTube

Maori TV say they regret not pulling an Australian comedy series labelled an 'insult to Tongan culture' before it screened.

Jonah from Tonga depicts Australian writer and actor Chris Lilley dressed up as a Tongan student.

An email document shared between Maori TV's board members and obtained by RNZ revealed the board was not aware the programme would be broadcast on the channel.

The document said the board members "regret not being made aware in time to prevent the first programme from going to air".

It also said Maori would "feel insulted if non-Maori painted their face and proceeded to belittle our people," RNZ reported.

"We unequivocally apologise to our Tongan whanau," said the document, which also stated Maori TV would never air the show again.

The email also discussed the need to act quickly following politicians questioning the channels processes and judgement.

The Government's Minister for Pacific Peoples Alfred Ngaro said this week that the show isn't funny and "perpetuates negative stereotypes of Pacific people".

Māori TV head of content Mike Rehu told RNZ that the channel had consulted widely with the Tongan community before airing the show.

"We've got to understand that one or two people maybe upset by it, but that's the issue we have with comedy and in particular satire in New Zealand," he told RNZ.

A Tongan American military veteran started a petition to pull the show off America's HBO cable network in 2014, which was signed by almost 12,000 people.

Jonah from Tonga faced criticism when it screened in the US in 2014 for racism, including for using 'brown face'.

Almost 12,000 people signed a petition that called for TV network HBO to pull the show off the air.