Television and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB)

Abstract

In the years since its introduction television has become a primary leisure activity for many New Zealanders. It has affected not only what we do, but how and why we do it. Television is an influential medium which is implicated in the production and reproduction of New Zealand culture, yet the implications of television for our society are often ignored or misunderstood. By selecting horse racing as one element of New Zealand culture and examining its historical development, it is possible to map the impact of television on this one aspect of our society. This process illustrates the power of the television medium, and its centrality to New Zealand cultural development. Furthermore, by drawing on existing theory, it is possible to analyse why it is that racing has not kept pace with the development of New Zealand culture, and suggest ways in which this problem could be addressed.