Te Awamutu Māori podcast clocks up 100 episodes

Taringa presenters, from left: Erica Sinclair, Te Puaheiri Snowden and Paraone Gloyne. Photo / Supplied

A weekly podcast from Te Awamutu which regularly attracts more than 10,000 listeners each week is about to clock up its 100th episode.

Taringa was launched in 2017 following a conversation between two Te Wānanga o Aotearoa staff members — poutiaki reo/tikanga Paraone Gloyne and sound engineer Morgan Samuel.

The pair set out to use Taringa to teach people about te reo Māori and te ao Māori. The idea was to aim it at anyone wanting a relaxed and fun introduction to what can be complex subjects.

"It would be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in knowing more about te reo Māori and te ao Māori," Paraone says.

"It's conversational and fun to listen to and it's a great way for people to learn some te reo Māori, tikanga and kōrero tuku iho."

While Taringa is bilingual, with much of the content in te reo Māori, it is usually easily understood or explained by the hosts.

Taringa is presented by Paraone and fellow Te Wānanga o Aotearoa kaimahi Te Puaheiri Snowden and Erica Sinclair, along with an ever-changing line-up of guests.

When it first aired, Taringa drew just 600 listeners but now regularly attracts 10,000 each week from Aotearoa, Australia, the United States, UK and a host of other countries including Argentina, Spain and Bahrain.

Morgan says they receive good feedback about Taringa, particularly from overseas listeners.

"They are hanging out for anything with a link to te reo Māori because they've got nothing else," he says.

However, its popularity has been surprising.

"I knew the people were out there, but not so many of them.

"I always thought it was worth doing — it was a no brainer — but I didn't think it would be so successful."

However, Paraone says he always knew Taringa would prove popular.

"No one was doing anything like this in that space," he says.

"It's conversational and it's like you're sitting in on the conversation. It has that homely feel, it's natural and organic and we go with the wairua."

Before Taringa was launched Paraone spent a year listening to various podcasts to figure out what works and what doesn't.

At the start it was decided to run on a four-weekly rotation of kaupapa: — Kupu kupu kupu (vocabulary) — phrases, whakatauki (proverbs, quotes) and various topics pertaining to te reo and its use. — Iwi o te Wiki — a different iwi is selected each episode, with a kōrero about that iwi, their history and pepeha; — Once Upon a Taima — traditional and contemporary Māori pūrākau Māori (narratives). — Tikanga 101 — discussion about various aspects of tikanga Māori.

Last year Taringa was recognised at Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori awards, where it won the Mātauranga — Kaupapa Māori/Education — Māori Medium section.

Guests for the 100th episode, which will be recorded in Auckland, include Stacey and Te Manahau (Scotty) Morrison, Pania Papa, Rahui Papa, Tatere McLeod and Radio NZ's Guyon Espiner, who last year received te Tohu Kairangi at Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori awards for his commitment to te reo Māori.

The 100th episode will be recorded on June 19 and broadcast on July 12.

Listen to Taringa at soundcloud.com/tw-oa or follow the Taringa team on Facebook.