Veteran Māori broadcaster Willie Jackson says Iwi radio stations should be considered to air Māori programming at Radio New Zealand.
Jackson made the call after changes to Māori programming at Radio NZ were announced.
He says, “We’ve spoken to them in the past about the possibility of iwi radio stations broadcasting on Radio NZ, but they didn’t agree.”
Jackson is also the chairman of Te Whakaruruhau o ngā Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa, and suggests the government step in to question Radio NZ.
“This is a big issue for Māori. $36 million dollars of taxpayer’s money goes towards Radio NZ, so the government should step in and see what they’re doing.”
Head of Content, Carol Hirschfeld said they would keep the brand of Te Manu Korihi but would extend coverage of Māori and Pacific stories across the network.