Maori Radio to get Govt help

Press, 3 June 1989, Page 7

Maori Radio to get Govt help

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The new Broadcasting Commission has been given “policy direction” by the Government to provide financial assistance to the Aotearoa Maori Radio Trust Board from public broadcasting fee revenue.

“Policy direction” was how the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Wetere, and the Minister of Broadcasting, Mr Hunt, described what the Government had agreed to do.

This financial assistance would be at or about the present level until June, 1990, and would coost about $1.44 million by then. The Ministers’ announcement followed their meeting yesterday with members of the Aotearoa Radio Trust.

The trust plans to launch an Auckland AM station this week-end, broadcasting not less than 42 hours a week of programmes specifically de--signed for a Maori audience.

Setting up the Auckland

station would constitute a big step forward foor Maori broadcasting, the two Ministers said.

But funding assistance for the national network of stations the trust board had proposed would have to be considered by the new Broadcasting Commission.

Last August, the Government announced that it would direct the Broadcasting Commission to allocate a minimum of 6 per cent of new public broadcasting fee revenue to Maori broadcasting.

The two Ministers said that was expected to represent more than $4.5 million in 1989-90.