National MPs crossing floor on Maori channel

By AUDREY YOUNG

Two senior National MPs will cross the floor of Parliament today to vote against the establishment of a new Maori television channel.

Murray McCully and Maurice Williamson don't support the channel, though the rest of the caucus decided on Tuesday to back it, in its early stages at least.

The move is likely to send mixed messages to Maori when National plans to actively seek Maori support next election.

The legislation setting up the channel will be debated in Parliament today for the first time.

Mr McCully has been an arch critic of the proposal, calling it a "Rolls-Royce" channel.

"You can't say what I've said about the proposal and then turn round and vote for it," Mr McCully said last night.

"The people of my electorate would be entitled to think that was hypocritical."

Within three years, the annual budget for Maori television will be $55 million ($6 million dedicated for the Maori television channel transmission and operation, and $49 million for Maori programming, most of which will be outside the control of the channel).

Mr Williamson, Broadcasting Minister at the time of the abandoned Aotearoa Television pilot channel, said his move should not be seen as anti-Maori or anti-Maori language promotion.

"I am just anti-wastage of huge chunks of money for which little accountability exists and ... no one at the end of the day will know what we got back for it in order to appease a small vocal group."

He would not oppose $55 million being spent on Maori if it were better targeted to Maori, in education achievement for example.

"This sum of money gives some gold-plated incomes to a number of fat cats who have been on the public teat in many other forums to just line their pockets."

National leader Bill English could not be contacted in Australia but both MPs say he understands.

Maori affairs spokeswoman Georgina te Heuheu said she was not sure what message Maori would take. "They're grown-up."

It would not lessen the task she and Maori vice-president Wira Gardiner had "to encourage Maori to think about what party makes the big moves here in the last 50 years - it's us."

She said at least the National caucus allowed MPs to cross the floor.