Tama Potaka during his maiden statement to the House. Photo / Mark Mitchell. March 7, 2023.
Tama Potaka during his maiden statement to the House. Photo / Mark Mitchell. March 7, 2023.
Te Pāti Māori wants Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka to continue to support the growth of Whakaata Māori and not look to pull the plug on Māori television.
The call comes after Whakaata Māori on Monday announced a budget shortfall of $9.5m in the upcoming two years.
“Minister Potaka must immediately intervene and recommit funding to Whakaata Māori. A 25% reduction is cutting Whakaata Māori at their knees; we cannot accept that,” said Te Pāti Māori broadcast spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris.
“For too long, Māori media has been inequitably funded. The last government set aside a temporary fix; we are demanding that this government make an enduring commitment.
“Whakaata Māori has not had an increase in operational funding since 2008. Despite that, their commitment to Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori is unwavering. The content produced by Whakaata Māori is a vital tool to preserve and retain our language, tikanga and kōrero tuku iho.
“Whakaata Māori broadcast almost 50 hours of non-stop live content for the Kura Tuarua Kapa Haka competition last week. It is the same broadcast where the messages from our taiohi were made loud and clear, and the Minister himself pledged to fulfil the aspirations of te iwi Māori.
Whakaata Māori Kaihautū chief executive Shane Taurima speaking to staff on Monday. Photo / David Schaaf
On Monday, Whakaata Māori staff were told by its chief executive Shane Taurima that they faced a $9.5m budget hole over the next two years.
Taurima says if baseline funding had increased with inflation each year since 2008, it would have reached $55m in the coming year – more than enough to cover the organisation’s current cost base.
Ferris said Potaka was failing Māori on so many levels.
“It appears the Minister is already falling short of that pledge,” Ferris said.
“Failing to intervene and provide a solution relegates the Minister to being nothing but a puppet to the coalition government, ceding his sovereignty at the expense of our own storytelling, language revitalisation, and the livelihoods of the Whakaata Māori kaihoe.”
Potaka said Whakaata Māori executives manage a budget and it was up to them on how that budget was managed.
“Budget 24 allocated $142 million for Māori language and media entities over the next year, including $47.764m for Whakaata Māori,” Potaka said.
“This will help enable the Māori media sector to continue to tell Māori stories in a uniquely Māori way that all of Aotearoa can enjoy.
“As in other sectors, industry leaders must be innovative to ensure they achieve their goals for delivering content that audiences want to see across platforms they enjoy.
“Operational decisions are made by the organisation’s leadership.”
