Maori TV jobs safe: board chief

Georgina Te Heuheu.

Maori Television says there will be no job losses at its news show Te Kaea and changes at the station have been put on hold.

Maori Television Service board chairwoman Georgina te Heuheu yesterday briefed Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples and a senior member of Broadcasting Minister Bill English's office about proposed changes at the station.

The briefing came after Mana leader Hone Harawira said up to 25 jobs at Te Kaea could be axed and its news service provided by TVNZ.

Maori TV, Dr Sharples and Mrs te Heuheu all dismissed the claims but Mr Harawira said he was "glad they have been forced to retract".

"And although they say now that there was nothing in it, the fact is that they had notified staff of an operational restructure, they had planned to meet with senior staff this morning to give them a private briefing, and they had planned to advise all staff of those restructuring plans today," Mr Harawira said yesterday.

"In the end they used their planned staff meeting to tell them that I was wrong, but the big question is ... What were they planning on telling the staff if I hadn't outed them?"

Sources at the station told the Herald that chief executive Paora Maxwell addressed about 20 anxious staff members and told them their jobs were safe.

Mrs te Heuheu yesterday told RadioLive that she had ruled out job losses at Te Kaea and Native Affairs as well as a rumoured relocation to Rotorua.

But she said the axe could fall elsewhere in the organisation.