Six60, Witi Ihimaera, Stacey Morrison, and Kataraina and Tāwhirimātea Williams were among the recipients acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to te ao Māori at Māori Television’s fifth annual Matariki Awards – Ngā Tohu Matariki o te Tau 2021.

The Supreme Award went to Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Uruta in recognition of their work in coordinating a nationwide COVID-19 pandemic response that addressed and met the needs of whānau Māori.

Tāhuhu Rangapū of Māori Television, Shane Taurima, described the Matariki Awards as one of the highlights of the media organisation’s calendar.

“It is a privilege and an honour to be entrusted with the production of these prestigious awards that recognise and celebrate the outstanding and extraordinary achievements and contributions of some truly inspirational people and groups,” says Shane Taurima.

Te Puni Kōkiri was the main sponsor of the awards with other sponsors supporting individual awards. The awards and recipients are:

AWARD	RECIPIENT	SPONSORED BY
HIWAITERANGI AWARD FOR YOUNG ACHIEVERS	Georgia Latu, Pōtiki Poi (Kai Tahu, Ngāpuhi)	Te Kura o te Aho Pounamu
TIPUĀNUKU AWARD FOR EDUCATION	Chris Selwyn, Ngā Puna o Waiōrea	Te Ahu o te Reo Māori
TIPUĀRANGI AWARD FOR ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT	Six60	Toi Māori
WAITĪ AWARD FOR HEALTH AND SCIENCE (ENVIRONMENT)	Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Uruta	Māori Television
WAITĀ AWARD FOR BUSINESS AND INNOVATION	Michelle Baker, Buy Māori Made (Te Tairāwhiti)	Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
URURANGI AWARD FOR SPORT	Charlisse Leger-Walker, Basketball (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou)	ACC
WAIPUNARANGI AWARD FOR TE REO AND TIKANGA	Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu)	Te Taura Whiri o te Reo Māori
MATARIKI AWARD FOR COMMUNITY	Te Māhurehure Marae, Tāmaki Makaurau
TE HUIHUINGA O MATARIKI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS	Witi Ihimaera (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-a-Apanui) Dr Ihakara Porutu Puketapu (Te Āti Awa) Kataraina and Tāwhirimātea Williams (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Mania)	Te Puni Kōkiri
NGĀ MATA O TE ARIKI TĀWHIRIMĀTEA SUPREME AWARD	Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Uruta	Te Puni Kōkiri

The awards were hosted by award-winning broadcaster Moana Maniapoto in front of an enthusiastic audience that included Minister Willie Jackson and other leading lights of te ao Māori.

“The calibre of nominations made the selection process incredibly difficult but only reinforce to us all that te ao Māori is thriving,” Shane Taurima says.

The judges were Dr Hinemoa Elder, Professor Rawinia Higgins, Rangimarie Hunia, Dr Rangi Mataamua, Tamati Olsen and Larry Parr.

Winner Profiles:

HIWAITERANGI AWARD FOR YOUNG ACHIEVERS: Sponsored by Te Kura o te Aho Pounamu

• Georgia Latu, 14, (Kai Tahu, Ngāpuhi) is the Chief Executive of Pōtiki Poi, the largest Māori-owned poi manufacturer in the world. Pōtiki Poi make, sell, distribute and teach the craft of Aotearoa original poi to local and international customers. The year 2020 was a booming year for Georgia, who diversified into creating earrings and clothing as well as writing a book during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown.

TIPUĀNUKU AWARD FOR EDUCATION: Sponsored by Te Ahu o te Reo Māori

• Chris Selwyn has served as Tumuaki at Ngā Puna o Waiōrea for more than 27 years and has devoted his life to the rumaki reo within Western Springs College in central Auckland. Chris believes that raising children within a Māori setting will flow on to greater educational achievements. Today, 90 per cent of students attending Ngā Puna o Waiōrea finish Year 13 and their pass rate for NCEA Level 1 is above 85 per cent.

TIPUĀRANGI AWARD FOR ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: Sponsored by Toi Māori

• Six60 is a five-piece band formed in 2008: Ji Fraser (lead guitarist), Matiu Walters (guitarist), Marlon Gerbes (synths), Chris Mac (bassist), and Eli Paewai (drummer). The band began in a humble Castle Street flat in Dunedin and has since graced festivals and airwaves throughout the world. In 2019, they became the first New Zealand band to sell out Western Springs Stadium and in 2021, they became the first band to play Eden Park.

WAITĪ AWARD FOR HEALTH AND SCIENCE (ENVIRONMENT): Sponsored by Māori Television

• As COVID-19 began to take grip, a group of Māori health experts formed Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā to coordinate a nationwide pandemic response that best fitted the needs of whānau Māori. The main objective is to provide clear and consistent information and resources to whānau, hapū and iwi to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to Māori. This is mainly communicated through a central website and web portal that includes information gathered and approved by the group’s Māori health professionals.

WAITĀ AWARD FOR BUSINESS AND INNOVATION: Sponsored by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

• Buy Māori Made is a social media platform set up by Michelle Baker (Te Tairāwhiti) to help small Māori businesses following the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. In its first week, the Facebook page attracted more than 18,000 members and is proving to be a popular platform with some businesses selling out of products. The page now has more than 97,000 members.

URURANGI AWARD FOR SPORT: Sponsored by ACC

• After moving to Seattle to play basketball for Washington State, Charlisse Leger-Walker (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou) quickly solidified a leading place in the team. It was during the first game of the season, a 60-52 victory over UW in Seattle, that she contributed 17 shots and 12 free throws on her way to 20 points. She also fielded seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists.

WAIPUNARANGI AWARD FOR TE REO AND TIKANGA: Sponsored by Te Taura Whiri o te Reo Māori

• Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) is a radio and television broadcaster whose projects have spanned 25 years. Stacey’s first children’s book, My First Words in Māori, became a number-one bestseller; Stacey and her husband Scotty co-wrote Māori at Home to help other families use Māori in everyday settings. The couple work with many groups and families to build Māori language friendships and community for whānau.

MATARIKI AWARD FOR COMMUNITY

• Fresh from celebrating its 50th birthday, Te Māhurehure Marae partnered with Te Rūnanganui o Ngāpuhi and Ngāpuhi Hauora to deliver care packages to kaumātua from Silverdale to Port Waikato and Northland. The marae delivered more than 4,000 packs to families in need during the COVID-19 lockdown. Coordinating with other organisations including the Student Army, Corrections and Sky TV, Te Māhurehure Marae worked hard to ensure the wellbeing of hundreds of families.

TE HUIHUINGA O MATARIKI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sponsored by Te Puni Kōkiri

• One of the world’s leading indigenous writers, Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler DCNZM QSM (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-a-Apanui) is celebrated as a voice for Māori and a literary legend in New Zealand. Witi’s best-known work, The Whale Rider, was released in 1987 and was adapted into the critically acclaimed film of the same name in 2002.

TE HUIHUINGA O MATARIKI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sponsored by Te Puni Kōkiri

• Dr Ihakara Porutu ‘Kara’ Puketapu is a leader of Te Āti Awa. Dr Puketapu’s innovations include Hui Taumata, the kohanga reo movement and Tu Tangata (Stand Tall) programme. He created Kōkiri, or community-based training centres, and led reforms of the Māori Land Court. His most public achievement was the 1980s exhibition, Te Māori.

TE HUIHUINGA O MATARIKI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sponsored by Te Puni Kōkiri

• Kataraina and Tāwhirimātea Williams (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Mania) started New Zealand’s first bilingual and then total immersion Māori medium school, Te Kura o Rūātoki, which was a precursor to kohanga reo and kura kaupapa. For the past two decades, the couple have been leaders at Te Wānanga Takiura o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa which is now a private Māori teacher training institution.

FOR IMAGES, INTERVIEWS OR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Kirk MacGibbon
Mātanga Tuku Kōrero / Communications Specialist
Māori Television

DDI: +64 9 539 7159
MOB: +64 211 909 382
EML: kirk.macgibbon@maoritelevision.com