27 Oct 2016

Jobs likely to be axed in Māori TV restructure

1:46 pm on 27 October 2016

It appears likely jobs will be lost in a restructure at Māori Television.

The company yesterday announced restructuring proposals, and a worker at the station said many staff were in tears when they were told.

Māori Television's new headquarters in East Tāmaki.

Māori Television's new headquarters in East Tāmaki. Photo: Supplied

It is understood that of 11 producer and production manager jobs, only four positions will remain when the restructuring process has ended.

Labour's Māori broadcasting spokesperson, Peeni Henare, said staff had been promised that the company's relocation to south Auckland would not involve job losses.

Labour MP Peeni Henare during caucas run April 2015.

Labour Party Māori broadcasting spokesperson Peeni Henare Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

But he said it now appeared that there were "necks on the chopping block".

A staff member told RNZ the company had talked about a focus on te reo Māori and rangatahi programming but two individuals whose jobs were on the line were fluent in te reo Māori.

Māori Television has declined to comment other than issuing a statement saying it had had proposed a realignment of its production and programming departments.

"We are consulting with affected staff first and we expect the process to be complete by end of November," the statement said.

It is the second restructure in two years. In 2014 chief executive Paora Maxwell disestablished a number of roles including those of executives Julian Wilcox and Carol Hirschfeld.

The company last week took staff members out to the new premises in East Tāmaki for a tour of the new offices and production space.