Maori TV board and Government resist calls for heads to roll

11.50am

The board responsible for employing Canadian John Davy to head the new Maori Television Service, sacked for misconduct six weeks after his appointment, today resisted calls for heads to roll.

Board chairman Derek Fox said Mr Davy had been asked to repay his $20,000 salary advance.

The board was also examining its relationship with recruitment agency Millennium People, the husband and wife team of Wayne Ball and Makere Papuni who have said they were "taken in" by Mr Davy.

Mr Fox and Prime Minister Helen Clark have blamed Millennium People for failing to check Mr Davy's credentials.

"I don't think it was the board's job to go and check intimate details," said Mr Fox.

Helen Clark agreed, saying the Board "quite properly" got advice and hired people who portrayed themselves as expert in recruitment matters.

"When you hire such people you expect them to do a professional job for you."

Helen Clark and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia both told reporters today they would not pressure board members to resign. The board had addressed the problem quickly once it became aware of it, Miss Clark said.

They suspended Mr Davy "immediately", gave him time to respond to allegations he had falsified his work background, then dismissed him, she said.
"That's pretty quick," she said.

Critics, however, want more accountability for the employment fiasco, with National Broadcasting spokeswoman Katherine Rich saying the board and its directors were responsible for the appointment and should bear the blame.

"The fact that some board members had not met Mr Davy or seen his CV before his 'unanimous appointment' is sloppy governance at its worst," she said, calling for an investigation into his appointment.

"If heads don't roll over this, New Zealanders will be extremely resentful of more millions being spent on Maori television -- a channel that is likely to be watched by...3 per cent of New Zealanders."

Hone Harawira, head of the Maori Electoral College, which appoints members to the MTS board, said it should accept responsibility for what happened.

- NZPA

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Full coverage: Maori TV