Māori Television Celebrates 18 Years Of Telling Māori Stories
As Whakaata Māori celebrates its 18th birthday on Monday 28th March, we reflect on how we have entertained and inspired audiences through the telling of Māori stories and how we have contributed to the revitalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
It is our people and our stories that make Whakaata Māori a success, says Tahūhū Rangapū, Shane Taurima.
“As an organisation we are proud of this significant milestone, but uppermost in our minds is reflecting on and acknowledging our tūpuna and, the contributions, dedication and commitment of all those who have helped shape Whakaata Māori into what it is today.”
“There has been some amazing people at the heart of this kaupapa over the past 18 years; from governance through to management and those at the cold face – turning around our stories and telling our stories.”
“Our role to tell our stories is even more relevant after 18 years. We have been humbled by being able to bring the ihi of the ASB Polyfest event to our screens for our rangatahi and their whānau, our ANZAC day coverage is right around the corner, as is our annual Ngā Whetū o Matariki Awards in June.”
“It is our present and future events and, stories that celebrate te reo Māori, our culture and our nationhood, that remain strong at Whakaata Māori.”
“Through COVID-19 disruptions, we’ve still been able to deliver high quality content and kept the channel up and running, have embarked on new technology with our digital platform MĀORI+ and so it’s the people that we must celebrate and acknowledge today.”