New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster, Māori Television, has launched a Lifetime Achievement Award for Indigenous Television Broadcasting – Te Rerenga Tahi – sponsored by Te Puni Kōkiri.

The award will be presented at the gala dinner of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference in Auckland on March 28 2008.

Māori Television chief executive Jim Mather says the new award seeks to recognise the work of a person or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the indigenous television broadcasting industry in New Zealand.

The selection of the award winner will be a confidential process undertaken by a panel of independent judges, and based on the highest merits of fairness, honesty and respect to the deserving nominees.