Urban Maori Radio Broadcasts Sports Awards
Urban Maori radio Waatea 603AM will broadcast live to the iwi radio network from both the 2004 Trillian Trust Maori
Sports Awards and the Tamariki Sports and Cultural Day in Auckland early this month.
Some 1200 guests from the Maori community, sporting codes, political arena and corporate sector will attend the annual
black-tie ceremony at the Auckland Showgrounds on Saturday, December 4, while more than 1200 youngsters from kura
kaupapa Maori in Auckland will celebrate the event two days earlier on Thursday, December 2.
Waatea 603AM manager Bernie O’Donnell says both broadcasts will be bilingual and available to the iwi radio network as
well as listeners of the South Auckland-based station. Waatea radio personalities, musician Ruia Aperahama and
journalist Dale Husband, will host the tamariki day broadcast from 9am to 3pm from House Park Reserve in Mangere – where
the Auckland Blues are scheduled to train – while Dale joins co-presenter Kingi Ihaka at the awards live from 5.45pm to
9pm on Saturday night.
Mr O’Donnell says a key theme of the two shows will be Auahi Kore or Smokefree. The programme from the official ceremony
will include on-stage presentations and entertainment, interviews with leading Maori personalities, and profiles of the
awards, finalists and scholarship recipients.
Winners in 10 categories will be announced on the night including Maori sports administrator of the year;
umpire/referee; sportsperson with a disability; coach; junior sportsman and woman; senior sportsman and woman; sports
team; and world champions. Other presentations include a special Maori Olympian prize, the Maori Sports Media Award of
the Year and SPARC’s Best Community Initiative Award.