Maori TV promos winners

By JON STOKES

Maori Television is world class at self-promotion - and has gold and silver awards to prove it.

Promotions for the fledgling broadcaster's music show, Coast, took out the gold award in the "best music promo" category of the Promax & BDA Australia and New Zealand Awards in Sydney.

The Coast promo was shot with presenters Brent Mio, Shavaugn Ruakere and Bgurl Sheeq on the streets of Auckland and at MTV over two evenings in a 1967 Pontiac.

The network also won silver for "best promo not using programme footage" for its promotion of the New Zealand Maori vs the United States rugby match in the recent Churchill Cup series in Canada.

The tournament, screened live on MTV in June, was the first international sporting series to be broadcast exclusively in Maori.

Te reo and programming head Tawini Rangihau said the wins were a coup for the station - still in its first year of broadcasting - and a first for any New Zealand broadcaster.

The Promax awards recognise world leaders in promotional and marketing professionalism in electronic media. The BDA awards celebrate outstanding design contributions in the broadcast media industries.