Profile image for Rod Cornelius

Rod Cornelius

Producer, Executive

In the course of a 32-year career, Rod Cornelius experienced seismic changes within New Zealand’s television industry firsthand. From his first job with the NZ Broadcasting Corporation through the turbulent remakings of state television in the late 80s and 90s, Cornelius held several key management roles — including TVNZ Controller of Programming and Managing Director of Avalon Studios.

Starting Māori TV was fantastic...te reo’s at the heart of it, but the talent, the crew broke all the old rules of TV. They'd burst out laughing on air or do something no one else was doing on the other channels. It was a good note to leave on. Rod Cornelius on his time at Māori Television