Teenage Talent Premieres on Pukana

Wednesday March 30 2011

A talented teenager from Ngati Porou will make her presenting debut on award-winning youth show PUKANA in April.

Te Ataakura Pewhairangi is the newest and youngest member of the PUKANA team. The 17-year-old hails from the East Coast and was schooled through kura kaupapa and wharekura at Mana Tamariki in Palmerston North.

Te Ataakura joins presenters Marama Gardiner, Tiare Tawera and Herea Winitana – all fluent Maori language speakers and talented singers, actors and reporters with a natural rapport with children and young people.

PUKANA has been entertaining Kiwi for the past 13 years and now screens on three channels: Maori Television (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6.00 PM); 100 per cent Maori language channel, Te Reo (weekdays at 7.00 PM); and mainstream broadcaster TV3 (Sunday at 8.45 AM).

The pioneering series is 100 per cent Maori language ‘edutainment’ combining entertaining segments with informative, educational elements.

PUKANA producer Pania Papa says the show has always been committed to training young Maori to write, present and produce television.

The bilingual presenters brainstorm, research and write comedy skits as well as reviewing segments and educational segments for each episode. In addition, they write and professionally record a new lyrical composition each week, adding to the pool of Maori language songs.

“Our team takes te reo Maori to the street, encouraging modern usage of the language in ways that children and youth can relate to Each week, the presenters aim to inspire, entertain, educate and uplift the spirits of Maori-speaking youngsters throughout Aotearoa.”

Te Ataakura Pewhairangi (Ngati Porou) was kaitataki of secondary school kapa haka group, Te Piringa, and is also a previous winner of the national speech competitions, Nga Manu Korero. As a 13-year-old, Te Ataakura became just the second female in the competition's history to claim a title when she won the Rawhiti Ihaka trophy for best junior Maori speech.

Marama Gardiner (Ngaiterangi, Ngati Ranginui) attended kohanga reo and kura kaupapa at Piripono in Otara and is a graduate of Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi in west Auckland where she was prefect and head girl. Gardiner won a scholarship to attend South Seas Film and Television School and then worked behind the scenes on a reality television series for Maori Television, Waka Reo. PUKANA is a dream job for Gardiner – she participated in the show while at school and sang on it at the age of 15.

Tiare Tawera (Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Ngati Porou, Ngai Tuhoe) was born and bred in Whakatane and was both dux and head boy at Auckland’s Hato Petera College. As well as his presenting role on PUKANA since 2006, Tiare is known for his Maori language voiceover work which has included cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants and a penguin called Pablo in The Backyardigans. Tiare is an aspiring actor and is also in training for his first bodybuilding competition

Herea Winitana (Tuhoe, Ngati Tuwharetoa) grew up in Turangi and was home schooled at Te Kura o Te Ahorangi. The 19-year-old has a black belt in karate and competed at the world championships in 2006 – securing a place in the top eight. In 2010, Herea took top honours at the national secondary school speech competition, Nga Manu Korero, when he won the senior Maori section, Pei Te Hurinui, as well as best male speaker and best prepared.

PUKANA screens on Maori Television every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6.00 PM as well as on Te Reo every weekday at 7.00 PM and TV3 every Sunday at 8.45 AM.

ENDS

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