He kura whakaaio ki te rangi, he kōmata whakanui ki te whenua, ko Hawaikirangi e tau nei.

Our traditional stories glisten in the skies, in the pursuit for excellence.

This is Hawaikirangi.

The largest television studio floor and production training facility in Auckland has been officially opened at Whakaata Māori.

Hawaikirangi is home to two studios, offices, audience and guest hosting, and live broadcast facilities for internal productions and the Māori creative sector.

It was officially opened this morning in a dawn blessing with iwi, dignitaries, broadcasters, and creative producers, where the Minister for Māori Development, the Hon. Willie Jackson, challenged political colleagues to support kaupapa Māori.

“We must tautoko this kaupapa. Don’t use us in the games. We are in a fight for our reo. We are in a fight for our culture. Mainstream has had generations of investment. We have had so little investment and we must be given the opportunity to thrive,” he said.

It is the first time Whakaata Māori has had a main studio since moving from Newmarket to East Tāmaki, Auckland in 2017. It means internal content productions will no longer have to hire external studio and production facilities for the first time in six years.

Whakaata Māori Toihau, Jamie Tuuta, said more people are watching Whakaata Māori content than ever before. In the last year alone, Whakaata Māori has doubled its Te Reo Channel audience, celebrated 100,000 downloads of MĀORI+ and reached more than one million people through MĀORI ACTIVE.

“Hawaikirangi provides opportunities to produce content on site, support the Māori media sector as well as engage with schools and communities. It is an important step towards a future, where there is a unique, dedicated space to be original, create stories and to train and develop our people,” said Mr Tuuta.

Hawaikirangi was named in recognition of the original homeland of Hawaiki and the knowledge, traditions, and stories which ancestors placed in the stars to guide future generations. It stands directly opposite Hawaikitangata, the main Whakaata Māori offices, as a gateway to unique content creation.

Whakaata Māori Kaihautū, Shane Taurima, said Hawaikirangi belonged to all, achieved by the support of many.

“Less than a year ago, we had a warehouse. The project team brought their collective skills, knowledge, and experience to bear with rigour and stunning transformation. Today, we have Hawaikirangi,” he said.

Mr Taurima, who has been reappointed for a further five-year term as Chief Executive, also announced that Whakaata Māori would host the world conference of indigenous broadcasters in March next year.

“It is our responsibility as global storytellers to see beyond the now for future generations. We have a mission to serve our people, with unique content made by our people, for all to see. It’s fitting that the name of the world conference is also Hawaikirangi.”

Work began in July 2022 to redesign and transform a warehouse into a fully functional production facility, recycling and reusing existing material wherever possible.

At 232 square metres, the main studio will be the largest, purpose-built live television studio floor in Auckland.

The first production from Hawaikirangi will be WHAKATAU 2023 – Whakaata Māori live debates and coverage of the general election from September 19.

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