Public funds for Maori TV World Cup bid

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has given his blessing for taxpayer funds to support a Maori Television Service bid for the 2011 Rugby World Cup's free-to-air broadcast rights, thought to be as high as $3 million.

It is a decision that may strain coalition relations because the go-ahead was given with no reference to the Cabinet or the other minister responsible for Maori Television, Finance Minister Bill English.

But the backing of the bid by Dr Sharples' ministry, Te Puni Kokiri, would come out of its existing funds to foster Maori development and does not need specific Cabinet approval.

Te Puni Kokiri has backed other big television events by Maori Television without controversy, including its extensive and widely acclaimed coverage of Anzac Day.

But its support for the MTS bid to cover the rugby is contentious on many levels.

It is contentious among TV competitors, because it gives the Government-funded Maori channel an advantage over the other Government-owned channel, TVNZ. TV3 has also bid for the rights but it is thought the MTS bid leaves the others in the shade.

It is also highly contentious because Dr Sharples, co-leader of National's support partner the Maori Party, did not consult senior Government colleagues about it.

Dr Sharples said last night that MTS had a "track record of bold programming with live coverage of major events" such as this week's coverage of Sir Howard Morrison's tangi.

"Maori Television might see a successful bid as a great opportunity to ... showcase Maori ... for the benefit of the whole country."

Te Puni Kokiri's backing might be argued to be appropriate but it comes when other Government departments are being asked to justify their spending on a line-by-line basis.

It also comes at a sensitive time when the Maori Party and Maoridom were dealt a blow by National's decision to oppose Maori seats on the reformed Auckland Council.

And it raises questions about the involvement of ministers from both parties in what is a commercial bid.

It is understood TVNZ had approached MTS with a proposal for a joint bid with TV3, including simultaneous broadcasting of the biggest games, but that has not been taken up.

TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis said yesterday that while he had a bid in, "we have been invited to consider making an additional bid and we are working through ... that."

It is expected Prime Minister John Key will turn his mind to brokering some compromise when he returns home next week.

With profits declining in the financial crisis, TVNZ recently off-loaded its free-to-air rights to cover the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in a year to Sky, which owns Prime.

If the MTS bid is successful, the funding by Te Puni Kokiri would be separate from the $16.5m it budgeted for the channel this year.

The Maori Television bid is seen as a way to extend its profile and viewership after the Rugby World Cup has finished.

It has broadcast live sports events including league, Maori All Blacks and basketball but not on the scale of the Rugby World Cup.

According to its website, MTS broadcasts to 83 per cent of the New Zealand population via the UHF frequency and to 100 per cent of the country via the digital platform.

The decision about free-to-air coverage will be made by the Rugby World Cup Ltd and its next meeting is on October 11.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully has been concentrating on New Zealand's response to the Samoa tsunami in the past two days and is heading there today.

But asked yesterday to comment on the MTS bid, he said: "The decisions about the media rights are matters for Rugby World Cup Ltd and the IRB [International Rugby Board]. They get the revenue and they make the decisions.

"Obviously as the minister responsible for the Rugby World Cup I want the best possible outcomes ... but I can't comment on any specific elements of the media-rights allocation because it is not my territory."