GET A NATIVE PERSPECTIVE – ON MAORI TELEVISION
THURSDAY APRIL 22 2010
Maori Television’s insightful indigenous current affairs series, NATIVE AFFAIRS, has launched its new season on air – every Monday at 8.30 PM – with international recognition for its work in public service broadcasting.
NATIVE AFFAIRS was a finalist in the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s annual awards held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday April 20 2010. The CBA-Amnesty International Award for Human Rights Programme was judged to be a tie between the other two finalists: BBC World Service and the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
Maori Television general manager of news and current affairs, Te Anga Nathan, says the achievement is remarkable given the quality and quantity of the competition. The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association has 100 members in 52 countries.
“In its first three years on air, NATIVE AFFAIRS has twice been named a finalist for Best Current Affairs Series at the Qantas Film and Television Awards and was also the supreme winner last year of the Maori Sports Media Award of the Year,” Mr Nathan says. “We are humbled at this latest international accolade for our coverage of indigenous current affairs from a Maori perspective.”
The weekly hour-long live-to-air show is presented by Julian Wilcox and produced by Colin McRae with reporting by Wena Harawira, Annabelle Lee-Harris, Marisa Balle, Makere Edwards, Tina Wickliffe, Iulia Leilua and Carmen Parahi. This year, the team also includes Patrice Mousseau from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Canada who is on a staff exchange as part of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network.
Last Monday’s premiere episode featured two exclusive stories: Wena Harawira reporting from New York on the eve of the announcement that the New Zealand Government would support the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and confirmation by Team Tua on the heavyweight’s next fight in Brazil. Executive producer Wena Harawira says the fourth series of NATIVE AFFAIRS will continue to break new ground.
“NATIVE AFFAIRS dishes up debate, analysis, opinion and insight by getting to the core of the most challenging stories in Aotearoa today and bringing these important issues – from a Maori perspective – into the homes of all New Zealanders,” Ms Harawira says. “Indigenous stories from international sources also feature in the line-up and include news, views and interviews from throughout the Pacific.”
For regional and national current affairs – from a Maori perspective – as well as international indigenous news, tune in to NATIVE AFFAIRS on Maori Television every Monday at 8.30 PM. Viewers can call the helpline on 0800 MA TATOU (0800 628 2868) for advice on how to tune in to Maori Television or go to the website, www.maoritelevision.com, for more information including video on demand.
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For images and media information, register with the Maori Television media centre at http://media.maoritelevision.com or contact Publicist, Merilee Andrews, on +64 9 539 7092 or email merilee.andrews@maoritelevision.com; or Communications Manager, Vanessa Horan, on +64 9 539 7159, mobile +64 21 928 007 or email vanessa.horan@maoritelevision.com.
