Maori TV executives demoted

Julian Wilcox Photo By NZ Herald
Julian Wilcox Photo By NZ Herald
High-profile Maori Television executives Julian Wilcox and Carol Hirschfeld have been demoted from their jobs in a restructure process announced to staff at the station today.

Maori Television Service chief executive Paora Maxwell briefed his executive staff this morning about a structural realignment that has seen Wilcox and Hirschfeld both big casualties in the changes at the station.

He was to have made the announcement to staff about the changes at 1pm today.

The changes follow a Herald report last week that predicted the two highly-experienced broadcasters might either be made redundant or offered lesser roles within the organisation.

A source at the station said a number of executive roles had been changed to "head of department roles" -- including Wilcox's and Hirschfeld's positions.

The Herald understands a new role called head of corporate affairs has been created at the station among several other positions including a head of programming and production role -- that will oversee Wilcox's old news and current affairs job.

The source said Wilcox and Hirschfeld are able to apply for the role but it's likely it will go to the station's current general manager programming, Haunui Royal, who is currently in Hawaii on holiday.

It's unclear whether Wilcox and Hirschfeld, both among the station's most experienced journalists and broadcasters, will stay at the station.

Mr Maxwell, who controversially got the chief executive's role in March, said he was not looking at making any "radical changes in the short term" following his appointment.

By James Ihaka of the New Zealand Herald

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