Thirty staff at Television New Zealand are likely to be made redundant a week before Christmas as part of a move to outsource Maori and Pacific programmes.
Most are likely to move to four independent companies named today by TVNZ to take over Tagata Pasifika, Fresh, Marae and Waka Huia.
Tagata Pasifika executive producer Stephen Stehlin said he expected an agreement with TVNZ to be finalised next week.
He said it was exactly what they wanted, and would create two sizeable Pasifika television production houses.
Mr Stehlin said 30 staff in Maori and Pacific programmes were expecting redundancy letters by the end of next week.
Tagata Pasifika's eight full-time staff would move to the new company and he understood the same would happen with the other programmes.
TVNZ said all four companies are willing to take on existing staff.
The Maori news programme Te Karere is exempt and its 10 staff will stay at TVNZ.
