Wena Harawira’s career in broadcast media began at 17-years-old Wena as a copywriter at Radio 2ZG in Gisborne.

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Two years later, Wena found herself at TVNZ’s new Māori language news programme, Te Karere. She was the first wahine to work on the news service and found herself working with legendary broadcasters Whai Ngata, Derek Fox and Purewa Biddle.

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Wena moved from TVNZ on a secondment to the BBC and lived in Wales for three months. On her return she took up a role as a bilingual reporter in Hamilton, filing stories for both Te Karere and a regional news programme.

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In 2005, along with Judy Bailey she co-anchored historic ANZAC Day commemorations. She has been a regular host in the years since.

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Having worked in virtually every aspect of the Māori media industry, Wena is much admired not only for her leadership and journalism, but also for the many reporters she has mentored and inspired. This work continues with a new generation of Māori journalism cadets funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund.

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Harawira is an incredible trailblazer for Māori women in the media industry.

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As Director of News & Current Affairs at Whakaata Māori she has been a champion of the organisation’s transition to a truly multi-media organisation spanning traditional channels and digital platforms.