Ko te hononga inamata ki te ao Māori kua kotahi te maretitanga i te rangi nei nā te whakarewanga o ngā taupānga hou e rua a Whakaata Māori. 

Ko ngā taupānga waea, ko Te Ao Māori News me Māori TV, ka tuku wawe i ngā tohu nui me ngā karere ki ngā hapori me te tuku hononga utu kore ki ngā karere inamata, ngā hōtaka rorotu, ngā kiriata, ngā pakipūmeka me ngā kaupapa mataora, mā ngā pūrere matihiko.

Ko tā te Tāhuhu Rangapū o Whakaata Māori, tā Shane Taurima, ko ngā taupānga ka hāngai ki ngā kaiwhakamahi, he reo rua, ā, ka tūhono i ngā whānau ki ngā hapori, i a Ngāi Aotearoa ki a rātau anō me te ao ki te ao Māori.

“Ahakoa kei hea te tangata i tō rātau tūāoma ako i te reo, ka taea e rātau te ako tahi ki a mātau, ahakoa te wā, i te hāneaneatanga o ō rātau ake taunga, me ā rātau ake pūrere. Mō ētahi atu he whatitoka ki te ao motuhake kei tō tātau mahau,” te kī a Taurima.

“Ka whai wāhi ko ngā kōrero inamata, ngā whakatūpato, me ngā kōrero hou mā ō tātau hapori – ka mātua i tēnei wā o te mate urutā COVID-19. Ko Whakaata Māori tētahi tino kaituku kōrero i ngā noho rāhuitanga, ā, ka taea te tuku tere ake ki te hiahiatia.”

Ka whai wāhi ki te taupānga o Te Ao Māori ko ngā whakamōhiotanga mō ngā karere ohorere me ngā kaupapa mataora, ngā tukutanga pae pāpori me te whai wāhitanga atu ki ngā kaupapa a te kareremanga i Whakaata Māori. Ka whai urunga te kaiwhakamahi mā te tiki iho i te Apple App Store me te Google Play.

Ko tā te Minita Whakawhanaketanga Māori, tā Willie Jackson, kei te tino tautoko ia i te ahunga matihiko.

“Ka mārama te hapori ka haumaru ake te iwi whānui o te motu,” te kī a te Minita Willie Jackson.

“He tika mā Whakaata Māori e ārahi ngā karere Māori, ngā kaupapa Māori hoki i ngā pae matihiko. Me mihi au ki a Whakaata Māori me tēnei hōkaitanga whakamua ki te anamata.”

Ko te taupānga tuarua a Whakaata Māori ka whakapuare i ngā tatau ki ngā kaupapa tini i ngā tūmomo kaupapa tini. Ka taea e ngā kaiwhakamahi te whiriwhiri i ngā kōnae, te tiaki ki ā rātau tino, te roma ki ngā mata hoki mā te airplay me te Chromecast. Ko ētahi atu āheinga ka whakarewahia hei ngā marama e tū mai nei. Ko te Māori Tv app ka whakakapi i te Connect App ō-mua, ā, ka whakahoutia aunoatia. Ka taea hoki e ngā kaiwhakamahi hou te haere ki te App Store.

Instant connection to the Māori world is one swipe closer today with the launch of two new apps from Māori Television.

The mobile apps, Te Ao Māori News and Māori TV, will drive important alerts and messages to communities faster and provide free access to breaking news, favourite shows, documentaries and live events direct to digital devices. 

The Minister for Māori Development, Willie Jackson, said he fully supported the digital direction.

 “The more informed our communities are, the safer we are as a people and as a nation,” said Minister Jackson.

“It’s right that Māori Television lead the charge for Māori news and content in the digital space.  I’d like to acknowledge Māori TV in this great step forward for the future.”

Māori Television’s Tāhuhu Rangapū, Shane Taurima, said the apps were user-focused with dual language support for all, connecting whānau to communities, New Zealanders to each other and the world to te ao Māori. 

“No matter where people are on their reo Māori language journey, they can learn with us at any time from the comfort of their own space on their own device.  For others it’s a doorway to a unique world that’s on our doorstep,” said Mr Taurima.

“Importantly, it is instant information, alerts and updates for our communities – especially in an era of COVID-19.  Māori Television was a core communicator during lockdowns and can now deliver even faster if needed.”

The new Te Ao Māori News app includes alerts for breaking news and live events, social media sharing and access to the latest from the Māori Television newsroom.  Users can access it by downloading via the Apple App or Google Play stores.

The second Māori TV app opens access to content across multiple genres.  Users can choose playlists, save their favourites or stream to any screen using airplay or chromecast.  More features will roll out in the coming months.  The refreshed Māori TV app replaces the previous Connect App that will update automatically.  New users can also head to the App Store.

Must-see viewing begins immediately with Māori Television’s special Week of Waitangi launching this Sunday, January 31.  Acclaimed documentaries and productions like Children of the Revolution; Waitangi: What Really Happened; Herbs - Songs of Freedom and NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka are among the line-up of distinct stories of Aotearoa.

Next week also launches a new year of Māori Television’s news and current affairs with Te Ao Tapatahi breakfast returning at 7am on Monday February 8.  It leads out the return of continuous bilingual headlines and highlights, Te Ao Mārama news at 4.30pm and our award winning current affairs show, Te Ao with Moana on Monday February 8. 

ENDS