Māori Television has selected a south Auckland site as the location for its new headquarters.
Staff are being presented with the planned design for their new premises in East Tāmaki this morning.
Buildings at 433 and 441 East Tāmaki Road will be refurbished with planned transmission of news and current affairs shows from the new site around June 2017.
Chair of the Māori Television Board, Georgina te Heuheu, says it is the biggest decision to date that Māori Television has had to make from an operational point of view.
“There were many dynamics to consider such as ensuring that the new premises are fit for operational purposes and deliver overall value for money. Above all, we are committed to ensuring there is a smooth transition to the new premises for our staff,” she said.
The selection of the East Tāmaki site follows an extensive evaluation process.
The decision-making criteria included financial cost, ability to build or convert existing space into a television studio, ability to retain and attract key talent, access to public transport and arterial routes as well as proximity to Māori communities and facilities such as kōhanga reo, kura and marae.
Other large scale media transitions at Television New Zealand, TV3 (Newshub) and New Zealand Media and Entertainment had also informed the selection process.
With Māori Television’s current Newmarket lease ending mid-2017, Georgina te Heuheu says a long-term lease of the East Tāmaki site provided operating and future certainty.
“We believe this decision best supports Māori Television to realise its vision of revitalising te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori. We have a unique spirit of commitment shared by all kaimahi (staff) to ensure that we – as guardians of this taonga – fulfil the dreams and aspirations of those who were at the forefront of the establishment of Māori Television,” she said.
There will be no impact on Māori Television viewers as a result of the move.