Inaugural Matariki Awards Showcase Māori Success
Cliff Curtis, Nehe Milner-Skudder and IronMāori amongst this year’s finalists
Māori Television and Te Puni Kōkiri are delighted to present the inaugural Matariki Awards, an annual event to celebrate
and honour extraordinary Māori talent and achievement across a broad range of fields and industries.
Hosted by Stacey Morrison and Matai Smith, the 2016 Matariki Awards will be held on Sunday, June 26 at Auckland War
Memorial Museum and will be accompanied by a special 90 minute live broadcast on Māori Television.
The event and broadcast will also feature live performances by Ria Hall and The Modern Māori Quartet.
In homage to the seven stars of Matariki, there are seven award categories andTe Tohu Tiketike o Matariki Supreme Award,
which will be presented to one of the finalists recognising outstanding commitment to Aotearoa and kaupapa Māori. The
aim of the awards is to support the success of Māori in a range of areas and help nurture the language and culture.
Te Waipuna-a-Rangi Award for Arts and Entertainment
The arts and entertainment category sees strong contenders such as acclaimed actor Cliff Curtis and singing super star Stan Walker selected alongside Venice Biennale 2017 artist, Lisa Reihana.
Te Waita Award for Sport
In the sports category, young All Black sensation Nehe Milner-Skudder, Olympian canoer Lisa Carrington and Championship Super Rugby coach Jamie Joseph are the finalists.
Matariki Young Achievers Award
As a celebration of young Māori talent, the Young Achievers Award has a line-up of very impressive rangatahi Māori.
Motorsport rising star Faine Maniapoto-Kahia, performing arts prodigy Māpihi Kelland and young leader Ezekiel Rauiare all finalists.
Te Tupu-a-Nuku Award for Business & Innovation
The three finalists of the Business and Innovation category are all Māori owned businesses that have excelled in the
industries they operate in. The finalists areMiraka Limited, Ngāi Tahu Tourism and Tainui Group Holdings.
Te Tupu-a-Rangi Award for Health & Science
The Health and Science category includes gifted, innovative finalists such as AUT Senior Lecturer Dr. Hūhana Hickey, NASA engineer Mana Vautier and IronMāori co-founders Heather Te Au-Skipworth and Missy Mackay.
Te Ururangi Award for Education
As an acknowledgement of their contribution to the Education sector, Otago University Dean and Professor Suzanne Pītama, Waikato University Professor and Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori Linda Smith and Melbourne University ProfessorElizabeth McKinley are the finalists of the Education category.
Te Waiti Award for Te Reo & Tikanga
The last of the seven categories focuses on the contribution each finalist has made to the revitalisation of Te Reo and
Tikanga Māori. Television personalities Scotty Morrison and Pānia Papa are joined by leading Māori language representativeMana Elizabeth Hunkin as finalists for this category.
On behalf of the judging panel , Convenor of Judges, Paora Maxwell is looking forward to the Matariki awards that
celebrate the top Māori success stories of the past year.
“It’s a great honour for Māori Television in association with Te Puni Kokiri to recognise the remarkable talent across
so many different industries and sectors and we’re immensely proud of this year’s finalists. We look forward to
gathering during Matariki to celebrate the new year and the great achievements of each of the finalists.”
Watch Ngā Whetū o Matariki on Saturday, June 11, 18, and 25 at 8pm onMāori Television.
Watch the Matariki Awards live on Sunday, June 26 at 8.30pm on Māori Television.
ENDS