Chris Lilley’s Jonah from Tonga pulled from Maori TV over negative stereotypes

(HBO)

Māori Television has withdrawn the series Jonah from Tonga from screening on the channel over concerns that the show perpetuates negative stereotypes of Pacific people.

The Australian television series, written by and starring comedian Chris Lilley, follows the life of a rebellious 14-year-old Australian schoolboy of Tongan descent who was originally introduced in Lilley’s 2007 series Summer Heights High.

The television company said in a statement: “Once the full Board of Māori Television became aware of the screening of the programme on Thursday evening, a decision was made then to pull the series.”

The Chair of the Board Georgina te Heuheu said the values of Māori Television include respecting all communities – and that the show did not meet the channel’s standards.

“We are a Māori media outlet with our own standards, and a mandate to protect and promote the Māori language and culture,” Ms te Heuheu said.

“This means that as a leading Indigenous broadcaster we have a responsibility to present all cultures with a degree of respect and aroha not least those of our Pacific Whanaunga.” The Whanaunga are an Indigenous group of the Coromandel Peninsula.

New Zealand’s Minister for Pacific Peoples, Alfred Ngaro, said ahead of the programme’s release that the series perpetuates negative stereotypes of Pacific people.

Mr Ngaro said: “It’s particularly disappointing to see this programme being picked up within weeks of The Human Right’s Commission’s ‘Give nothing to racism’ campaign,” Fairfax Media has reported.

Māori Television has said a replacement show called Te Taumata Kapahaka is set to go to air next Thursday in Jonah from Tonga’s place.

Media representatives for Chris Tilley did not respond immediately to requests for comment.