Māori Television has partnered with one of New Zealand's largest media companies Fairfax Media in a move to drive more Māori content to a mainstream audience on the Stuff website.
The new partnership will offer an opportunity for both organizations to share content.
Fairfax Media group digital and visual editor Mark Stevens says, “One fundamental one is that we get access to really top class, great quality content. Stuff has a really big audience, we've got an audience well over a couple of million. More than a quarter of a million of those will identify themselves as New Zealand Māori. We need to serve them, to have a diverse offering, to a diverse audience.”
Māori Television Chief Executive Paora Maxwell says the large audience is exceptionally beneficial for Māori issues to be recognized.
Paora Maxwell says, “This is a great move for Māori Television because stories and content will now reach more New Zealanders. This is a great partnership and an opportunity with Fairfax.”
The Māori Television content featuring on Stuff will include stories from Te Kāea news and Native Affairs programs. Stuff will also be drawing on Māori Television's coverage of the Māori electorate seats and other political issues affecting Māori in this year's General Election.
“Initially and primarily this was a news content, the relationship will extend beyond that to non-news content. There are still a few things up in the air around that what that might extend to but the attention from both sides is absolute to extend it from news”, says Mr Stevens.
“Fairfax has traditionally not provided news from a Māori perspective or in the Māori language. But by partnering up, our news from a Māori perspective can now be shared nationwide”, says Mr Maxwell.