MĀORI TELEVISON HOSTS INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS BROADCASTERS

22 March 2008

Indigenous broadcasters representing Australia, Canada, China, England, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Ireland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA will gather for the first major conference of its kind in Auckland this week.

New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster, Māori Television, is the inaugural host of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference (WITBC ’08) to be held at the Aotea Centre – part of the Auckland Convention Centre at THE EDGE® – from Wednesday March 26 to Friday March 28.

The exceptional line-up of keynote and featured guest speakers include Chief Judge Joe Williams of the Waitangi Tribunal; Simon Molaudzi (Head: Education, South African Broadcasting Corporation); John Walter Jones (Chairman, S4C, Wales); Jean LaRose (Chief Executive, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canada); Jim Mather (Chief Executive, Māori Television, New Zealand); Shaun Brown (Chief Executive, SBS Corporation, Australia); Sylvia Feng (President and Chief Executive, Public Television Service, Taiwan); Pól Ó Gallchóir (Chief Executive, TG4, Ireland); Patricia Turner (Chief Executive, National Indigenous Television, Australia); Margaret Mary Murray (Head of Gaelic Digital Service, BBC Scotland); and Dr Saul Berman (Global Strategy Leader, Media And Entertainment Industry, IBM Global Business Services).

Māori Television chief executive Jim Mather says the three-day event is an opportunity to discuss, debate – and indeed shape – our people’s future by engaging with others on highly relevant topics. WITBC ’08 will also give the delegates a forum to discuss the need, benefits, scope and nature of an international network.

“WITBC ’08 – and subsequent conferences to follow – will assist each of us to identify a benchmark to which we can aspire and by which to measure our performance,” Mr Mather says.

As well as the conference’s closing event, the WITBC ’08 gala dinner at the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre on Friday March 28 will include the first, live-to-air broadcast of Te Reo from 8.00 PM to 9.00 PM which will simulcast on both channels; celebrations for Māori Television’s fourth birthday; and the presentation of the inaugural Te Puni Kōkiri Lifetime Achievement Award for Indigenous Television Broadcasting, Te Rerenga Tahi.

Highlights from all three days of the conference will be filmed and edited into a half-hour programme which will screen on Māori Television on Wednesday March 26, Thursday March 27 and Friday March 28 at 10.30 PM.

Leaders, producers and planners involved in indigenous and public television can still register to attend WITBC ‘08 via the website www.witbc.org.

Ends

Vanessa Horan
Kaiwhakahaere Whakapā
Communications Manager
Māori Television
DDI: +64 9 539 7159
MOB: +64 21 928 007
EML: vanessa.horan@maoritelevision.com