Hawke's Bay woman blending media skills and love for te reo Māori in kids' TV show

St Joseph's Māori Girl's College old girl Ani-Piki Tuari is one of three hosts of a new Māori-language kids' show on television. Photo / Supplied

Ani-Piki Tuari has a huge role. She's not just teaching a class te reo Māori -
she's teaching the entire country.

Tuari, who was head girl at St Joseph's Māori Girl's College 14 years ago, is presenting the new lockdown Māori-language kids' show Mauri Reo, Mauri Ora.

The television show is a teaching resource and learning device for children from preschool, primary school and high school.

Tuari is a film and television director, music producer, te reo Māori consultant and teacher, translator, actress and writer, and has a strong interest in Māori theatre, music and television.

It's this focus on te reo Māori in all areas of her career, and her work in revitalising the language and customs, that she believes has helped her gain this role.

She hopes the show will prove to be a beneficial tool for the younger generation.

"I went through Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Wharekura and even in my time we didn't have anything like this.

"To know that 30 years later years later nothing has changed I thought that was bad, so I was absolutely open to giving this a go."

Tuari hopes the show and the partnership between the Ministry of Education and Māori Television continues and becomes a strong one.

She presents the show alongside Juneea Silbery and Te Korou Whangataua, who she describes as her best friends.

"We all have a very strong and passionate love for te reo Māori which makes it a really cool environment to be in.

"He waka eke noa, we are all rowing this boat together. It's the work of a collective," she said.

Tuari was surprised she was chosen to mainly present the preschoolers' show but says she uses her five nephews aged under 5 to guide her presenting.

"I talk to them like I would talk to anyone else, so I use them as my cue for how to deliver [the show]".

Speaking of her Hawke's Bay background, she said she has "nothing but great memories" of the place she went to high school.

Principal Georgina Kingi had been a "huge inspiration" to Tuari through high school and now, she said.

She also has family connections to the region and Ngāti Kahungunu and Rongomaiwahine are her iwi.

The show is running for 10 weeks and has five weeks left. It runs weekdays during school hours on the Te Reo channel and on the Māori Television website.