NZ: Ruia Mai scoops top honours at awards

NZ: Ruia Mai scoops top honours at awards

Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi Maori o Aotearoa,

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RUIA MAI SCOOPS TOP HONOURS AT MAORI RADIO AWARDS

ROTORUA (Whakaruruhau/Pacific Media Watch): National Maori radio service Ruia Mai has scooped top honours at the first ever Maori Media Awards.

The event was hosted by Te Whakaruruhau o Nga Reo Irirangi Maori o Aotearoa - the national federation of Maori radio stations - at the Rotorua Convention Centre last weekend.

Ruia Mai - part of the Mai Media group owned by Auckland tribe Ngati Whatua - won four of the eight awards, including Best Outside Broadcast, Best Maori Language Programme, Best Presenter and Biggest Blooper.

Whakaruruhau chairman Hone Harawira says the event celebrates the best of Maori radio broadcasting, the best people and their best work.

The winners:

BEST PROGRAMME SPORTS (WHAKAATURANGA O TE TAU-HAKINAKINA): Te Reo Irirangi o Turanganui-a-Kiwa in Gisborne

BEST PROGRAMME OUTSIDE BROADCAST (WHAKAATURANGA O TE TAU - PAHOTANGA TAIAO): Ruia Mai for the Maori Sports Awards 2003

BEST PROGRAMME YOUTH (WHAKAATURANGA O TE TAU - RANGATAHI): Tai FM in the far North for Te Mana

BEST PROGRAMME OPEN (WHAKAATURANGA O TE TAU - MOMO WATEA): Te Puutake

BEST PROGRAMME MAORI LANGUAGE (WHAKAATURANGA O TE TAU - REO MAORI): Ruia Mai for the weekday current affairs show, Te Kowae Paneke

BEST PRESENTER (KAIWHAKATAKI O TE TAU): Ngarimu Daniels and Piripi Taylor from Ruia Mai for the Maori Sports Awards 2003

MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE INDUSTRY (TAKOHA NUI O TE TAU): Minnie Westrupp from Te Reo Irirangi o Turanganui-a-Kiwa in Gisborne and Joe Te Rito from Radio Kahungunu in the Hawkes Bay (first equal)

FEATURE AWARD - BIGGEST BLOOPER (HAPA KATAKATA O TE TAU): Tina Wickliffe from Ruia Mai for Te Kowae Paneke

The ceremony was broadcast live by Ruia Mai to the iwi radio network, and on TVNZ's digital service.

TVNZ's Marae programme will screen an edited version of the awards on TV One from 11am to 12 noon on Sunday, April 11.

The judges were Henare Pryor (Ngati Awa, Rangitihi), Tumamao Harawira (Ngapuhi, Aupouri), Hilda Halkyard-Harawira (Aupouri, Ngati Whatua), Hauata Palmer (Ngai Te Rangi), Tawini Rangihau (Tuhoe, Te Arawa), and Te Maumoko August (Ngai Te Rangi).

Whakaruruhau was registered in 1991 to represent the interests of the Maori radio industry. The federation represents 20 of the 22 funded Maori radio stations.

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PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of the South Pacific, Bushfire Media based in Sydney, Journalism Studies at the University of PNG (UPNG), the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and Community Communications Online (c2o).

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