NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

20 years of Whakaata Māori: How the broadcaster changed the shape of Aotearoa

By Karl Puschmann
NZ Herald·
27 Mar, 2024 09:00 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Ahikaroa is one of the shows that has showcased Whakaata Māori television network's commitment to bilingual programming.

Ahikaroa is one of the shows that has showcased Whakaata Māori television network's commitment to bilingual programming.

As Whakaata Māori marks its 20th anniversary, Karl Puschmann looks back at how the broadcaster changed the Aotearoa television landscape for the better.

Twenty years ago today, or to be more culturally appropriate to this story, rua tekau years ago today, Whakaata Māori began broadcasting in Aotearoa.

It had been a decade-long battle to get the station off the ground and on the air, decades-long if you trace the roots of the fight to get te reo officially recognised in New Zealand. In 1986, the Waitangi Tribunal ruled that yes, te reo Māori was a taonga (treasure) and five years later, in 1991, the Crown accepted its contractual obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi to preserve te reo.

Predictably, the idea of a Māori television channel became a political football. Te reo books, it was argued by opponents, would be a better investment in the widespread uptake of the language. Because we all know how families like to relax together in the evening gathered around a good book.

Nevertheless, the ball had started rolling and eventually found itself in the back of the net. Māori Television, as it was called before its rebrand in 2022, would be entirely government-funded under its obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi. It would operate under a simple remit; protect and promote te reo Māori and inform, educate and entertain a broad audience.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the time, the state didn’t particularly bother with the former, aside from a couple of off-peak news programmes whose influence did not match its audience, and it needed two whole channels to accomplish the latter three tasks. Yet, these were the expectations lumped on Whakaata Māori before going on air.

If there were any apprehensions about fulfilling these lofty KPIs, viewers wouldn’t have noticed. There had been a solid 10 months of preparation for launch. And even though this period was not without scandal and hiccups, when the time came, the channel was ready. Bright and early at 6am on the dot on March 28, 2004, it was go time.

Writer and director Coco Solid created the animated comedy series Aroha Bridge. Photo /  Todd Karehana
Writer and director Coco Solid created the animated comedy series Aroha Bridge. Photo / Todd Karehana

Early bird viewers tuning into the station for the first time were greeted with a loud humming which gave way to a live karakia. To slightly paraphrase a popular saying, Māori Television literally launched with hope and a prayer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That morning, an estimated 2000 people turned up at the station’s HQ in the heart of Auckland’s swanky shopping suburb Newmarket to mark the occasion, including then Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Helen Clark, who in 2004 was New Zealand Prime Minister, at the launch of Whakaata Māori (then called Māori Television), with Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru (Taranaki, Ngāpuhi), right.
Helen Clark, who in 2004 was New Zealand Prime Minister, at the launch of Whakaata Māori (then called Māori Television), with Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru (Taranaki, Ngāpuhi), right.

“It’s been a long journey, but we’ve finally reached the destination!” she enthused. “From today, New Zealand has for the first time a serious, well-funded television channel which reflects the language, the culture, the heritage, the perspectives and the aspirations of Māoridom. In doing that, it also celebrates our maturing as a nation, celebrating our diversity and our uniqueness.”

Not everyone was celebrating the birth. National’s then Māori Affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee begrudgingly acknowledged that the preservation of te reo Māori was “highly important” but in the same breath harrumphed that he was “not convinced that a $45 million television station is the answer”.

Two decades on, it’s safe to assert that Whakaata Māori was, in fact, a large part of the answer. Not only did the channel normalise the everyday use of te reo, it also restored its mana. For the first time, Māori could see their culture, aspirations, concerns and humour reflected on screen no matter what time of day; morning, noon, after school, and, crucially, during prime time.

Māori could finally see themselves.

Te Ao with Moana host Moana Maniapoto, who works to shine a light on indigenous peoples’ truth. Photo / Michael Craig
Te Ao with Moana host Moana Maniapoto, who works to shine a light on indigenous peoples’ truth. Photo / Michael Craig

With this in mind, it’s no coincidence the channel changed its name to Whakaata Māori, which translates as to mirror, reflect or display Māori. It cannot be overstated the impact this had, not only for Māori but also for Pākehā, who increasingly flocked to the channel, and later its streaming platform, as the years progressed.

Due to its mandate, Whakaata Māori had an envious amount of locally produced shows in every genre you could name. Many became break-out hits. What they may have lacked in budget, they more than made up for with enthusiasm, entertainment value and relatability.

We’re talking shows like Coco Solid’s award-winning animated series Aroha Bridge, the reality competitive dating show Game of Bros, Anika Moa’s essential, irreverent talk show All Talk with Anika Moa, the glitzy 20–somethings drama Ahikāroa, a reboot of the beloved game show It’s in the Bag, the hilarious mockumentary series Find Me a Māori Bride, the long-running current affairs show Native Affairs and Moana Maniapoto’s increasingly important Te Ao with Moana, which has gone viral several times with her razor-sharp political interviews that have left Christopher Luxon and David Seymour squirming in their seats. Not to mention their celebrated and respectful live coverage of the Anzac Day dawn service memorial each year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Anika Moa and Paul Casserly put together the chat show All Talk with Anika Moa, in 2016.
Anika Moa and Paul Casserly put together the chat show All Talk with Anika Moa, in 2016.

If only TVNZ could be saddled with the same commitment to getting New Zealanders and New Zealand stories on screen without the constant need for commercial returns.

But it hasn’t all been hangi and haere mai. Whakaata Māori has not been without scandal throughout its history. It suffered severe growing pains before maturing into what it is today. But the same can be said about any of our major broadcasters or publications. What matters is how problems were dealt with, resolved and learned from.

Given its broadcasting obligations, the channel could have easily double-downed and segregated itself. Fortunately for Aotearoa, its vision was bigger than that. It demonstrated the welcoming nature of Māori culture, opting to showcase Māori but embrace all.

The cast from bilingual drama series Ahikāroa.
The cast from bilingual drama series Ahikāroa.

The majority of its shows are bilingual, which allows everybody in and shows how effortlessly te reo and English can co-exist. It’s an approach that’s working with the latest numbers showing a year-on-year increase of 11 per cent and an average monthly TV audience of 1.1 million viewers and 369,500 streaming its shows online.

Whakaata Māori may have been set up to reflect Māori but today, 20 years on, it is ever closer to reflecting all of us and a vision of how unified Aotearoa can truly be.

And that’s something to celebrate.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Why Kevin Costner says he'll never stop working

16 Jun 05:33 AM
Entertainment

Bruce Willis’ wife pens emotional Father’s Day tribute

16 Jun 04:51 AM
Entertainment

Soul rock icon Lenny Kravitz announces debut NZ show

16 Jun 12:36 AM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Why Kevin Costner says he'll never stop working

Why Kevin Costner says he'll never stop working

16 Jun 05:33 AM

The Hollywood star is 70 but has no plans to retire from acting.

Bruce Willis’ wife pens emotional Father’s Day tribute

Bruce Willis’ wife pens emotional Father’s Day tribute

16 Jun 04:51 AM
Soul rock icon Lenny Kravitz announces debut NZ show

Soul rock icon Lenny Kravitz announces debut NZ show

16 Jun 12:36 AM
William Dart review: How Auckland Philharmonia captivated with Handel and Tippett

William Dart review: How Auckland Philharmonia captivated with Handel and Tippett

15 Jun 05:00 PM
Sponsored: Embrace the senses
sponsored

Sponsored: Embrace the senses

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP