For the first time in a decade, the Māori media sector has received a substantial boost in the Budget with $40 million set aside over two years.
Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson told The Hui he is expecting to see "new and exciting" things across the sector.
In total, $8 million has been set aside for strategy and development, $20 million for content creation, and $12 million for iwi media collaboration in news and current affairs.
Jackson said he believes Māori will also play a role in the wider media story and also have an involvement in the strategic planning and implementation of the TVNZ/RNZ merger, which received $327 million over three years.
Win for Māori Health
Jackson said Budget 2022 had delivered $1.2 billion for targeted Māori funding, with the biggest wins in health and Whānau Ora.
Jackson said that includes Māori having a say in health for the first time, as well as Māori funding within Health NZ.
He added that the Government has set aside $350 million a year of new money for kaupapa Māori.
"When you compare it to past groupings whether it’s Labour, National or Māori, they used to get about $30 million a year, we’re getting ten times the amount."
The Māori Party has described Jackson’s Budget for Māori as "chocolate sprinkles on a vanilla cake".
Accessing archives
Researchers have said the reduced hours to Archives New Zealand is impeding their ability to access historical documents needed for Treaty claims and that it could be a Treaty breach.
Jackson agreed hours had been reduced under this Government but it didn’t equate to a Treaty breach.
Archives New Zealand hours have reduced the visiting hours to just five hours each weekday.
Made with support from Te Māngai Pāho and the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
