TV and te Tiriti : Key Factors in Aotearoa-s Bicultural Surge

This book surveys Maori-Pakeha relations from the Treaty of Waitangi signing in February 1840 to the end of 2022

Author, D. Brent Leslie, was a writer/director on Koha, the first regular television programme featuring Maori issues, when it began in 1980 and then on other TV programmes involving Maori-Pakeha relations. He has also written four internationally published childrens books and three New Zealand historical novels aimed at teenagers.

In Koha, Marae and the then TVNZ current affairs programme, Frontline, he was involved in making a vast range of Maori-related programming and became an experienced commentator on media aspects of Maori-Pakeha relations. He and TVNZ Head of Maori Programmes, Ernie Leonard, received a Highly Commended certificate in the 1991 New Zealand Media Peace Awards for writing and presenting Panui, a weekly Marae segment analysing print media treatment of Maori subjects.

In TV and Te Tiriti, Leslie gives his perspective on such key aspects of our history as Te Tiriti o Waitangi and The New Zealand Wars, without attempting to re-tell in fine detail ground already well covered by existing excellent histories. Instead he creates an overview of what went badly wrong in New Zealands bicultural race relations and what has since been achieved in redressing some of the earliest and worst failures. After analysing why this happened, he looks to what he believes should be a promising future. His book highlights the significance of film and television in the Maori protest movement from the 1960s on, why TV has improved understanding of Maori tikanga and grievances, and how much New Zealanders biracial attitudes have matured as a result. Key print and digital resources for those seeking more in-depth knowledge are listed at the end of this volume.