Editorial: Maori funder must get its act together

The tribulations of Te Mangai Paho have led inevitably to calls for the funding of Maori broadcasting to be rolled into New Zealand On Air. That, the critics say, is the only way to put an end to lax accountability and sloppy procedures, the type of practices identified in the Treasury report that has prompted the resignation of Te Mangai Paho's chairman and set the scene for its chief executive's exit. The report reveals the full extent of another own-goal: the clear conflict of interest presented by a Te Mangai Paho manager receiving money as a "guest commentator" for Maori Sports Casting International while being in a position to influence its funding. Acting chairman Wira Gardiner must cultivate a new culture or the agency will surely be put out of its misery.

If such were to be the case, it would be unfortunate. Ideally, the development of Maori television and radio should be in the hands of those who know best the audience, and its aspirations. Further, Te Mangai Paho has, through no deed of its own, undoubtedly been blackened by association - with Aotearoa Television (the Tuku Morgan underpants scandal) and the Maori Television Service (the John Davy calamity). Equally, however, it cannot deny other transgressions on its part, most notably the failure to keep close tabs on $1.9 million given to production company Aroha Films for a drama series. Thousands of that money went on wining and dining and to pay speeding fines.

Following that lapse, Audit New Zealand said Te Mangai Paho should ensure that it received regular cost reports after awarding contracts, and specific reports on payments made to related parties of successful applicants. Advice of such fundamental nature should not, of course, need to be given.

Likewise, the new Treasury report should not have had to recommend that all Te Mangai Paho directors and senior staff update their registers of interests each year. Or that all staff submitting proposals about external parties provide a written statement on whether they have a conflict of interest. Nor, two years ago, should Parliament's Maori affairs select committee have had to remind Te Mangai Paho that its statutory job was to promote Maori language and culture; that it was not in the business of "revitalising" the language, an ambition it was furthering by insisting that virtually everything it financed was in Maori.

Such occurrences point clearly to accountability shortcomings. At the heart of this is Te Mangai Paho's role as the state funder of a public service. As such, it must expect the same scrutiny, and possess the same stringent and transparent practices, as other agencies that dispense taxpayer funding. And it must expect that while its field of spending is Maoridom, it will be overseen by Parliament.

The Maori Affairs Minister says he is satisfied there are no "systemic" problems at Te Mangai Paho. He might be right. When the chairman of New Zealand On Air was called before the Maori affairs select committee last year, he could identify few, if any, ways in which Te Mangai Paho's funding practices varied from those of his organisation. And it is poor judgment and indecisive leadership, not a thoroughgoing failure, that is the nub of the Treasury report.

An independent mindset, however, could well be a problem. Mr Gardiner must foster a stronger sense of accountability, discipline and good business practice. If he does not, Te Mangai Paho invites an increasingly vociferous public backlash that will hasten its demise. Already the Prime Minister has voiced her frustration at the agency "presiding over a few too many failures". That sentiment was reinforced by the alacrity with which the Government accepted the resignation of chairman Toby Curtis. The message is clear - and the time for Te Mangai Paho to get its act together is short.