Māori programming in mainstream television has changed since the first New Zealand broadcast in 1960. Ngā Matakiirea was engaged by NZ On Air to examine the state of Māori mainstream television today: how it has arrived to this point; how it services its audiences; and how it may best develop, now and in the future. Ngā Matakiirea undertook face-to-face interviews with industry practitioners, received 214 viewer surveys, and completed literature searches.
Methodology
Industry surveys
Qualitative research with key industry figures was conducted using a standard questionnaire as a guide to facilitate discussion (see appendix 5).
Most surveys were completed during face-to-face interviews, with a small number of participants responding to the questionnaire in writing. The survey group included: programmers and other network personnel; senior producers and directors; and representatives from funding bodies NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho. The group included Māori and Pākehā, and covered most of New Zealand’s broadcast networks.
This report includes direct quotes from these interviews to provide NZ On Air with information "from the horse’s mouth" and a gauge on the industry climate. They are attributed where it would be commercially mischievous not to, but most are included to illustrate a point rather than identify the speaker.
Viewer survey
A snapshot of viewer opinions of mainstream Māori programming was captured by an online survey utilising Survey Monkey. In total, 214 participants responded from amongst our wide-ranging email networks. It should be noted that responses were skewed towards Māori (62%) and females (72%). To mitigate this skew we’ve made Māori to non-Māori comparisons and referenced ratings data from AGB Nielsen, which draws upon a greater survey pool representing the New Zealand population.
Literature review
Ngā Matakiirea accessed databases of the programmes NZ On Air has funded in the past 20 years, and the TVNZ and Māori Television annual reports and statements of intent. This enabled us to investigate the kinds of programme screened, on which networks, and at what time within the broadcast schedule. This information is referenced in the qualitative research.