Maori Television Brings Home The Gold

22 September 2004

Maori Television Brings Home The Gold

Maori Television has cemented its place within the global television industry and come up trumps for New Zealand broadcasters, having picked up a gold and silver award at the PROMAX & BDA ANZ 2004 Awards, held at Sydney’s Art Gallery NSW on Saturday.

Maori Television’s promotions department shone above stiff competition from Asia, Australia and New Zealand to scoop a gold award in the Best Music Promo category for an on-air promotion for live music programme COAST. Maori Television has also won a silver award in the Best Promo Not Using Programme Footage category for the on-air promotion for the NZ MAORI vs US / CHURCHILL CUP rugby tournament that was broadcast live on Maori Television in June.

Furthermore, Maori Television has scored a coup to become the only New Zealand broadcaster to return from the event with a gold award.

The PROMAX Awards are recognised around the globe as the highest accolade for promotion and marketing professionals working in electronic media. Likewise, the BDA Design Award has long been recognised as the ultimate accolade for outstanding design contributions in the broadcast media industries.

Together, they are presented to companies and individuals whose work is judged by a panel of promotion and marketing professionals based in Australia, the US and Europe.
Using three measures – overall creativity, production quality, and results in achieving marketing objectives – the judges then determine winners over 43 individual categories.

The COAST promo was shot with presenters Brent Mio, Shavaugn Ruakere and B-Gurl Sheeq on the streets of Auckland and at Maori Television over two evenings in a 1967 Pontiac. The producers wanted to reflect the urban music show which attracts a youth audience and encourage people to come to Maori Television on a Friday evening to be part of the action.

The shoot went well, with several local artists offering their time free-of-charge, until calamity struck when the flames painted on the Pontiac’s wings burst unexpectedly into life on the second night of filming! “Fortunately, none of the presenters was in it!” says Promotions Manager Sheila Byrne.

Meanwhile, the NZ MAORI vs US / CHURCHILL CUP rugby tournament spot was filmed on a cold winter’s evening at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany on 16mm film. The producers wanted to reflect the traditional warrior challenge, coupled with a contemporary feel.

“Maori All Black Rico Gear braved the cold, winter evening and appeared in traditional Maori costume before donning his usual training gear. The special haka chant adopted by the NZ Maori team was recorded as an audio track and Maori Television’s sports commentator, Julian Wilcox, voiced the promo,” says Sheila.

Maori Television acting chief executive Ani Waaka says it is a great achievement for Maori Television to win two awards against stiff international competition, having been on air for less than six months.

“We are absolutely delighted and this puts Maori Television on the map with other international television channels,” she says.

ENDS

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