CEO of Te Tumu Paeroa has been named the new chair of the Māori Television Service replacing Dame Georgina te Heuheu. Jamie Tuuta of Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Tama and Taranaki Tūturu was a former journalist for the stations' daily news show Te Kāea in 2006 and says at the time he had no aspirations to get involved with the station at a governance level.
"Today I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with the board and I think my time at Te Kāea has really given me an insight to the passion, and the drive, and the role that Whakaata Māori has moving forward," says Tuuta.
The new chairman is a current Māori Trustee, chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana, Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga, Independent Chair of Taranaki Maunga Project and a director of Moana New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand. He says the new role at Māori Television is an opportunity for him to contribute the ongoing kaupapa of te reo Māori and its advancement.
Tuuta says, "I think the opportunity for us is to ensure that we are relevant and that we are part of everyday lives of all Maori and non-Maori of Aotearoa and if we were to achieve that, then I think we're on the right path forward."