Editorial: Maori TV sending promising signals

Putting a controversial past to bed is never easy. Often only a dramatic change of course will reverse a widely held perception. On that basis, the Maori Television Service has made a promising beginning. Its decision to appoint a Canadian, John Davy, as chief executive says much of a determination to steer a far different path from that of its ill-starred predecessor, the Aotearoa Television Network.

Mr Davy's appointment has been criticised on all sorts of grounds. First, his nationality. Why will a Maori not guide this new era of Maori television? Secondly, the fact that he does not speak Maori and probably knows little of Maori culture. Thirdly, that he has little experience in television.

The criticism misses the key point of Mr Davy's selection by a panel made up entirely of Maori. His strength, on paper at least, lies in a background in corporate governance, the very area that has undermined the credibility, if not the balance sheet, of several state-funded Maori ventures. His curriculum vitae includes membership of the British Columbia Securities Commission, which suggests that the new Maori television channel will be run within strict parameters. Further, Mr Davy's CV suggests the sort of business acumen that was sadly lacking during the Aotearoa debacle. His nationality, when placed alongside those strengths, is an irrelevance.

Other developments also suggest that the automatic association of Maori television with Aotearoa director Tukoroirangi Morgan's $89 underpants should be consigned to history. Take the fact that Te Mangai Paho, the Maori broadcasting agency, decided off its own bat this year to hire Audit NZ to check the awarding of public money for a documentary series to the same Mr Morgan. It spoke of the need to ensure public confidence. The audit produced a largely clean sheet; as indeed, had a Serious Fraud Office investigation cleared Mr Morgan over his activities with Aotearoa Television.

If Mr Davy's appointment is an encouraging step towards changing perceptions about Maori television, the final proof will lie in the channel's success. There are heartening signs in that area, too. A clear understanding, for example, of the need for a high youth content. With one-third of Maori speakers aged over 60, the accent must be on attracting young Maori if the language and Maori culture are to benefit fully from television's considerable power.

Some other sounds emanating from those associated with the Maori Television Service are, however, rather less promising. There are queries, for instance, from the service's electoral college chairman about the channel's level of accountability. And strands of the debate about the use of English on the channel cause concern. The Maori Language Commission suggests it should be reduced over a five-year period. Hopefully, that view does not preclude the use of English subtitles.

The Maori Television Service Bill is quite clear about the channel's function to promote Maori language and culture "through the provision of high-quality, cost-effective Maori television service in both Maori and English that informs, educates and entertains a broad viewing audience ... " The channel is designed to enrich the lives of all New Zealanders. Shutting English out is simply not part of the prescription.

The Welsh language television channel is viewed by many as a model for Maori television. It has attracted a growing number of non-Welsh speakers through subtitling, and proclaims itself a bridge to linguistic harmony and understanding. About 98 per cent of its content is now produced in Wales, mainly by small, independent companies. Maori programme-makers also cast envious eyes at the channel's budget, noting that its funding per programme hour is three times that of its Maori counterpart. The implication of underfunding is obvious.

The Welsh channel's funding reflects, however, a record of success since its launch to a sceptical world in 1982. The birth of Maori television has, in contrast, been one of trial and tribulation. The Maori Television Service must show that it can walk before it is able to run. This time, at least, the first steps have been encouraging.