The All-white Media

Mana (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 6, 15 September 1977, Page 5

The All-white Media

by

Syd Jackson.

One of the reasons why it became necessary for us to produce a newspaper such as MANA is that all other newspapers have shown a total lack of concern in things Maori. Time and again they have covered the sensational, negative apsects of Maori life but this has been the limit of their interest and involvement. MANA will partly fill the gap caused by this unjustified media neglect but because of their omissions it becomes even more important that this need be met, and that it be met by radio and television.

The Government’s decision, therefore, not to proceed with Radio Aotearoa, which we consider is the most appropriate name for a Polynesian Radio station, is yet another blow from Pakeha supremacy. The Adams committee which was set up by the Kirk Government to draw up guidelines on the future of broadcasting in New Zealand recommended that at least one

such station be set up. Under the chairmanship of Pat Downie the board of Radio New Zealand elevated the establishment of Radio Aotearoa in the order of priorities suggested in the Adams Committee Report. A feasibility study was carried out and a site was chosen in South Auckland. Unfortunately, the election of a National Government marked the end of these developments. Not content, however, with merely using financial stringency as the excuse for stopping Radio Aotearoa, members of the Government also loudly proclaimed that to set up such a station was ‘separatist’ and apartheid’. As members of a political party which has for.years consistently supported the racist regimes of South Africa and Rhodesia, such comments hardly warrant attention. They not only reveal a complete lack of understanding of what apartheid is about but they also show a singular lack

of understanding of biculturalism. They also fail, of course, to recognise that the present broadcasting system is already separatist, monolingual in approach and completely Pakeha in both deci s ion-making and programming. What these politicians were attempting to do was to ‘white-wash’ the whole issue with irrelevant arguments which were designed to camouflage their continued domination of us as a minority group. It is a fact that their pathetic arguments fooled no-one. Plans to bring Radio Aotearoa to air should be immediately implemented. Control of this station should be effectively in our hands and we should make the decisions, and decide on the programmes. After all. Radio New Zealand purports to be ‘community radio’, why does it not then move to meet the needs of the Maori community? One of the important roles that this station could play would be to train announcers in other stations in Maori pronounciation and understanding. There is no doubt that the private radio stations and the sports announcers in particular, and commercial radio announcers in general, do not maintain the same high degree of expertise in this area that noncommercial stations and some television news readers maintain. Linguistically, logically and morally there can be no justification for radio announcers aborting our language. Radio and television are community services and should reflect the fact that we live in a bicultural or multicultural community. South Pacific Television purports to project a multicultural image in pakeha terms with the occasional display of a Maori motif but does not even give one minute of regular time to Maori or other Pacific Island matters. It is not unfair to claim that even the animals are better off than us. They, at least get regular time through Country Calendar — on Television One! As a significant proportion of the population and as the true people of this land we claim the right to have regular weekly television programmes. We have the talent, we have the expertise, we only need the opportunity to utilise it. To this end autonomous Maori sections must be set up in both television channels. This will allow the increased Maori programme content we seek which will provide information ofr us and strengthen our culture and which will also foster greater understanding between our peoples. Moreover it will help us find our identity as a nation of the Pacific.