women's voices

just received by email from the "women's voices" programme on planet FM:

Kia ora

It is with deep sadness that I have to tell you that Women's Voices will not be able to air from now on due to its funding been cancelled. The programme was funded by the Office of Ethnic Affairs for the last 4 years.

Women's Voices was a programme for migrant and refugee women, by migrant women about migrant and women's issues. The programme has had great feedback and we have featured some fantastic and inspiring women over the years and have won 3 Planet FM Micies awards during the last 3 years.

I would like to thank all of you who have supported me in various ways, either by being interviewed on the programme or helped me and my team in many ways. I also want to acknowledge my two co presenters who started the show with me Kiran Mallapur and Jennifer Janif who had to leave the programme for personal and professional reasons but who supported me long after they left.

I want to acknowleged the support of the Planet FM team Terri, Christine, Elizabeth, Fred and Julio and former staff member David along with the board of management and Chairperson Joan Rivlin Lardner who has always been of great support. Thank you for offering me the opportunities the programme has offered.

Finally thank you Office of Ethnic Affairs, especially Director Mervin Singham, Berlinda, Shrishti, Fezeela and Tayyaba who have always been of great support for funding the programme which has provided a voice to us ethnic women.

I will still be committed to making sure that the voices of migrants especially women are heard and I am already anticipating other avenues to achieve this although the programme is no more.

Warm regards to all of you and wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009.
Asoka Basnayake
Producer/Presenter
Women's Voices on Access Radio 104.6 Planet FM
Contact: 021 167 7475 or email: womens.voices@hotmail.com

this really makes me sad. ethnic nz women get very little public space and public voice as it is, and to lose a programme like this means that space gets just a little bit smaller. the government can support iwi radio stations and pacifika radio stations (as it should), but has no money to pay the sponsorship for a small, one-hour show? pretty sad.

if anyone can provide support for asoka or the show, that would be much appreciated. the minister in charge of this decision is hon pansy wong, and she can be contacted at
p.wong@ministers.govt.nz. see here (pdf) for other contact details.