PUBLICITY RELEASE
TUESDAY DECEMBER 16 2008
Dobbyn Finds A Homely Welcome – At Maori Television
“I think the angels were singing along on that one.”
That was the verdict of the one and only Dave Dobbyn, who made a special visit last Thursday to Maori Television
studios, to make a recording of his beautiful waiata – Welcome Home – with his backing singers and Maori Television staff.
The occasion came about after musical icon and national treasure was invited to be part of the broadcaster’s plans to
connect with New Zealanders, at home and around the world, with the project "Where on Google Earth Will You Be on
Waitangi Day?”
The channel has created its own layer on Google Earth to collect messages from anywhere in the world, to appear on the
specially-created layer as a pin on the spinning globe. Anyone can upload material, ranging from a simple text message
to photos, via Google’s photo sharing service, Picasa, or for the more tech-savvy among us, videos via YouTube. To
download the layer, visit our website (www.maoritelevision.com) and follow the link.
Maori Television hopes the Google Earth page will encourage New Zealanders to ‘come home’ for Waitangi Day 2009 - in a
virtual sense.
The most inspiring, fun and heart-warming messages will be played throughout Maori Television’s programme, KOTAHI TE RA: WAITANGI DAY 2009.
Dobbyn loved the creativity of the project, and its scope to touch New Zealanders around the world. He found an opening
in his busy schedule, and gave both his time and his song without charge.
“It just sounded like a really good idea,” says Dobbyn. “The fact that it was Waitangi Day. The fact that anybody
overseas can tune in and get in touch with their roots on Waitangi Day. It was an honour to be asked.”
Ngatapa Black, who works in on-air promotions at the station, as well as being a talented and soulful musician and
singer in her own right, has a featured spot in the Dobbyn song.
Maori Television will screen the clip of the song over summer, as well as part of the Waitangi Day programming, KOTAHI TE RA: WAITANGI 2009, on February 6, from 3.00 PM.
ENDS