Whakaata Māori
Whakaata Māori is New Zealand's Māori public television service, established to strengthen te reo Māori and Māori culture through television and digital media.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Whakaata Māori, formerly known officially as Māori Television, is a New Zealand public television service dedicated to the revitalisation and normalisation of te reo Māori and the presentation of Māori culture. It was created under the Māori Television Service Act 2003 and began broadcasting on 28 March 2004 from Newmarket, Auckland. The service subsequently relocated to East Tamaki. The broadcaster operates under government stewardship and is overseen through the Māori Television Electoral College, Te Pūtahi Paoho. Its statutory purpose is to provide a high-quality, cost-effective service in Māori and English that informs, educates and entertains a broad audience while enriching New Zealand society, culture and heritage. Unlike a conventional commercial network, its public role places language revitalisation, cultural visibility and Māori editorial perspectives at the centre of programming decisions. The service emerged from several decades of advocacy for stronger Māori representation in New Zealand broadcasting. Earlier initiatives included Māori production units at Television New Zealand, the current-affairs programme Koha, the Māori-language bulletin that developed into Te Karere, iwi radio, and the funding agency Te Māngai Pāho. A short-lived Aotearoa Television Network pilot in 1996 demonstrated both demand for dedicated Māori broadcasting and the practical difficulties of establishing a sustainable service. The Fifth Labour Government later supported the creation of a permanent Māori television network, leading to the 2003 legislation and launch. At launch, much of the schedule was intended to be locally produced, with a substantial proportion in te reo Māori. Programming has since covered news and current affairs, language learning, documentaries, drama, comedy, lifestyle, entertainment, sport, children’s television and Māori-language adaptations of international programmes. The main service is bilingual and designed for a broad national audience, while the former Te Reo channel concentrated on fully Māori-language programming and content for fluent speakers. The network has therefore served both language learners and Māori-speaking households, while also reaching many non-Māori viewers attracted by local storytelling and distinctive cultural content. Whakaata Māori expanded beyond linear broadcasting with the Te Ao Māori News digital news service and the MĀORI+ streaming platform, both launched in 2021. This digital-first direction became increasingly important as viewing habits shifted and the broadcaster faced financial pressure. In March 2024, the organisation entered a commercial arrangement with Google to contribute Māori-focused stories to Google News Showcase. Later in 2024, it announced a restructuring involving the removal of 27 roles, the transfer of Te Reo from terrestrial television to online distribution, and the ending of the long-running television news bulletin in favour of a stronger digital emphasis. The brand officially adopted the name Whakaata Māori in June 2022, although the Māori name had been used informally from the beginning. “Whakaata” conveys ideas including reflection, display and mirroring, and relates to the Māori expression for television. The renaming represented a more explicitly Māori identity for a service that had already become a major institution in New Zealand’s broadcasting landscape. Its continuing challenge is to balance cultural and language obligations, audience reach, editorial independence, digital transformation and constrained public funding.
History
Calls for dedicated Māori broadcasting developed during the late twentieth century, when Māori-language content was limited on New Zealand television. The New Zealand Māori Council advocated Māori and Polynesian current affairs programming in the 1970s, while the 1974 documentary series Tangata Whenua demonstrated the potential of Māori-focused television. Television New Zealand established a Māori production unit in 1980; its work included Koha and the short Māori-language bulletin that became Te Karere. During the 1980s, proposals for a dedicated national Māori network were repeatedly considered but not adopted. Māori radio expanded in the early 1990s, and Te Māngai Pāho developed into a dedicated funding agency for Māori-language broadcasting. A 1996 Aotearoa Television Network pilot offered a brief test of a Māori service in Auckland, but planning, funding limitations and hostile coverage contributed to its closure. The creation of a permanent service gained momentum after the 1999 general election. The Māori Broadcasting Advisory Committee and Te Awhioraki Trust were involved in efforts to establish a full network, with support from the Fifth Labour Government and Māori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia. The process was disrupted shortly before launch when the proposed first chief executive, Canadian John Davy, was dismissed after false claims about his qualifications. Despite the controversy and criticism that the project could waste public money, independent producers were already developing programming, supported in part by Te Māngai Pāho. The Māori Television Service Act 2003 established the service as a statutory corporation. Test broadcasts began on 1 March 2004, and Māori Television formally launched on 28 March at its Newmarket, Auckland facilities. The service initially broadcast for approximately eight hours per day and planned a substantial Māori-language and locally produced schedule. It attracted a significant audience during its first months and developed a profile that extended beyond Māori viewers. A second service, Te Reo, began on 28 March 2008. It was designed as an advertising-free channel broadcasting entirely in te reo Māori, with programming intended especially for fluent speakers and iwi communities. The main channel remained bilingual and continued to combine news, current affairs, entertainment, children’s content, factual programmes and acquired material, including Māori-language versions of international children’s shows. The broadcaster completed its transition from analogue to digital television in March 2013 and began high-definition transmission in August 2017. In 2021 it added the Te Ao Māori News digital news service and MĀORI+ streaming application. These services marked a shift from a television-only model toward digital distribution and helped the organisation reach audiences using mobile and online platforms. In June 2022, the official name changed from Māori Television to Whakaata Māori. The Māori name had been used in practice since the channel’s creation; the change gave it formal status and reinforced the service’s Māori identity. The broadcaster marked its twentieth anniversary in March 2024, when kaihautū Shane Taurima described its role as providing an unapologetically Māori voice while acknowledging financial pressures and the need to become more digital-first. Financial constraints became more prominent in 2024. Whakaata Māori entered a Google News Showcase arrangement in March, but later proposed a major restructuring in response to projected funding reductions and continuing shortfalls. In December it confirmed 27 role cuts, the transfer of Te Reo from terrestrial television to online delivery, and the closure of its long-running television news bulletin. Te Ao Māori News was retained as a digital news-focused operation. These changes represented a significant transformation of the service rather than the end of the brand: Whakaata Māori continued to combine public broadcasting, Māori-language revitalisation and digital media distribution.
- 2024
Twentieth anniversary and restructuring
[1]The broadcaster marked twenty years on air and later announced role reductions, online migration for Te Reo and the closure of its television news bulletin.
- 2022
Official renaming to Whakaata Māori
[1]The brand formally adopted Whakaata Māori as its official name in June.
- 2021
Digital expansion
[1]Te Ao Māori News and MĀORI+ launched, extending the service into digital news and streaming.
- 2017
High-definition broadcasting begins
[1]The channel began broadcasting in high definition.
- 2013
Digital television transition
[1]Māori Television switched from analogue to digital transmission.
- 2008
Te Reo launches
[1]The second channel began as an advertising-free, fully Māori-language service.
- 2004
Māori Television launches
[1]The service began regular broadcasting on 28 March from Newmarket, Auckland.
- 2003
Māori Television Service Act passed
[1]Parliament established the statutory Māori Television Service and defined its language, cultural and public-service responsibilities.
- 1996
Aotearoa Television Network pilot
[1]A short Auckland pilot tested the concept of a dedicated Māori television service but closed after difficulties involving planning and funding.
- 1980
TVNZ establishes a Māori production unit
[1]Television New Zealand created a Māori production unit, helping establish programmes such as Koha and expanding the institutional basis for Māori television production.
Products and positioning
A publicly funded Māori broadcaster whose central mission is the revitalisation of te reo Māori, the visibility of Māori culture and the provision of Māori-centred news and entertainment for both Māori and wider New Zealand audiences.
Main television channel · 2004
Whakaata Māori
The primary bilingual public television service, combining Māori-language and English-language news, current affairs, culture, entertainment, lifestyle, children’s and documentary programming. Its editorial purpose is to serve Māori audiences while making Māori perspectives and language accessible to the wider New Zealand population.
Māori-language television channel · 2008
Te Reo
A dedicated service launched for fluent Māori speakers and audiences seeking fully Māori-language programming. It was originally advertising-free and carried tribal, cultural and language-rich content. In the 2024 restructuring it was moved from terrestrial television toward online distribution.
Digital news service · 2021
Te Ao Māori News
Whakaata Māori’s digital news operation covering Māori affairs, politics, communities, culture and current events. It developed from the broadcaster’s television news capability and became the central news focus after the closure of the long-running linear bulletin in December 2024.
Streaming platform · 2021
MĀORI+
The broadcaster’s video streaming application, offering on-demand access to selected Whakaata Māori programmes and extending the service to audiences who consume television through connected devices and mobile platforms.
Controversies
2019
Paid Auckland mayoral candidate interviews
The broadcaster offered Auckland mayoral candidates interviews for a fee, with one candidate publicly characterising the arrangement as close to extortion. The incident raised questions about the boundary between political coverage and paid promotional content.
2015
Native Affairs editorial independence dispute
Presenter Mihingarangi Forbes resigned after controversy over management’s handling of a proposed story concerning the Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board. The episode prompted public questions about editorial independence and the ability of Māori journalists to scrutinise powerful institutions within Māoridom.
2005
Employment and workplace disputes
Newsreader Julian Wilcox was dismissed and later reinstated after information he supplied contributed to negative coverage. In the same period, presenter Ngarimu Daniels received compensation following a workplace dispute involving restrictions on protest participation and an offensive remark directed at her partner.
2002
Dismissal of proposed chief executive John Davy
John Davy was removed after claims concerning his academic qualifications were found to be false, creating controversy before the channel’s launch.
Brand decisions
2024
Restructure around digital deliveryStrategyBackground
The broadcaster faced financial shortfalls and a projected funding reduction, while seeking to concentrate resources on digital audiences.
Action taken
Whakaata Māori confirmed 27 role cuts, moved Te Reo from terrestrial television to online distribution and ended its 20-year television news programme.
Aftermath
Te Ao Māori News became the principal digital news focus, marking a substantial reduction in linear television operations.
Projected funding reduction. (By 2027)
2022
Make Whakaata Māori the official nameStrategyBackground
The Māori name had been used in practice since the service began, although Māori Television remained the official name until 2022.
Action taken
The organisation formally changed its name to Whakaata Māori in June.
Aftermath
The brand presented a more explicitly Māori identity while retaining continuity with the established Māori Television service.
2021
Adopt a digital-first distribution strategyStrategyBackground
Audience behaviour was shifting from scheduled television toward mobile, social and on-demand video consumption.
Action taken
The broadcaster launched Te Ao Māori News and MĀORI+.
Aftermath
Whakaata Māori broadened its digital reach and later used the online model as the basis for restructuring its news and Te Reo services.
2008
Launch the Te Reo channelProduct launchBackground
The main service served a broad bilingual audience, while fluent speakers required a deeper Māori-language offering.
Action taken
Whakaata Māori launched Te Reo as an advertising-free channel broadcasting entirely in te reo Māori.
Aftermath
The organisation gained a distinct platform for fluent speakers and tribal programming.
2003
Establish a statutory Māori public broadcasterStrategyBackground
Earlier Māori programming initiatives and a short-lived regional pilot had not produced a durable national service.
Action taken
The Māori Television Service Act created a dedicated statutory corporation with language-revitalisation and cultural broadcasting obligations.
Aftermath
The legislation enabled the launch of Māori Television in March 2004.
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