Five Days to Go!

The countdown is on to the launch of Māori Television, New Zealand’s first national indigenous television channel.

When Māori Television goes to air on Sunday 28 March 2004 it will launch some 30 years after the bid to beam te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into the living rooms of all New Zealanders began.

The approaching launch is bringing with it eager anticipation from members of the public and the hundreds of people responsible for getting the channel to air. Some of the messages of support the channel has received are:

Please pass on my very best wishes to the team at Māori Television, our hopes and dreams as well as all our support are with you all. Ngā mihi aroha, ngā mihi, tautoko ki a koutou katoa.

Congratulations. I have just tuned my set in to your promo. The reception is first rate, here in Taradale, Heretaunga. I am an old man, Pakeha, and your promo brought back fond memories of the wonderful Māori entertainers of past years. Your graphics are clear, refreshing, and artistic. I am impressed. You have all done a wonderful job. Go well Māori TV. I will watch regularly.

Ngā mihi ki a koutou e poipoi nei i o tātou reo rangatira, ano na ko te tikanga me ngā rawa o tea o Māori. E hihiko ana te hinengaro, e kapakapa ana te manawa I a matou e tatari ana. Tautoko, tautoko, ka mau te wehi, akuanei ka ea

Launch day will see Māori Television on air at 6am for live coverage of the Dawn Blessing ceremony, which will involve karakia, a walk-through of the studio facility, and whaikōrero. This will be followed by the documentary – Tātau, Tātou (The Making of Māori Television), and live coverage of the Pōwhiri and Unveiling Ceremony. Viewers will also get the chance to meet some of the team at Māori Television and to enjoy a range of programmes specially selected for launch day. The launch day programme schedule is:

Sunday 28 March 2004

L.I.P.S

For the freshest Māori and Pacific Island sounds and flavours, check out L.I.P.S (Locked Into Pacific Sound). Presented by Te Awanui Reeder from Nesian Mystik, L.I.P.S brings you the nation’s top ten Māori and Pacific Island songs and videos each week. Meet the rising stars in Aotearoa Nesian music plus the hottest talent currently jigging New Zealand’s music charts. Don’t wait for New York to put this music out – hear it here first on L.I.P.S!

He Rāranga Kōrero

Tainui Stephens presents precious Māori archival programmes that were broadcast once or twice a few decades ago – and put into storage, never to be seen again. Until now!
He Rāranga Kōrero shows how far Māori have come, and also the struggles that remain the same. See the birth of Te Kōhanga Reo, and relive the moments of many late, great Māori including Dame Whina Cooper, Eva Rickard, Sir Charles Bennett, and Whaia McClutchie.

Animation

Tamariki will enjoy the weekday cartoons produced by Rhonda Kite and Waihoroi Shortland from Kiwa Television Ltd . Remember Watership Down, Monkey King and the Wombles? All these old favourites plus many other new animated series have been bought by Kiwa Television Ltd from overseas and re-mixed with Māori voice overs, music and sound effects. After school viewing will never be the same again.

Mau Mahara

Mau mahara means to remember, and that’s what this series of nostalgia does. Drama, documentaries, music and comedy from the past see the light of day again.

See programmes produced between the 1960s and 1980s, and the timeless humour of the late Billy T. James and Prince Tui Teka. The haircuts, the fashions, the issues and the funny moments are all remembered on Mau Mahara.

Getting to Air

Our daily schedule is:

Tuning in to Māori Television

Viewers can tune in to Māori Television in five ways:

To receive Māori Television via the UHF frequency, viewers need to have a UHF aerial and be within the coverage area.

Via Satellite

If viewers are not within our UHF coverage area, they can access Māori Television via satellite by purchasing a satellite dish and receiver from their local television aerial installation service.

SKY Digital subscribers will find Māori Television on Channel 33 of their SKY remotes. They can tune in to Channel 33 now to catch highlights of programmes on Māori Television.

SKY UHF subscribers will find Māori Television on button 6 of their SKY remotes.

Via Saturn TV
If you receive Saturn TV, you can tune into Māori Television through channel button 33. Saturn Customers please: leave your decoders switched on to be able to receive this channel.

For More Information

Check our website www.maoritelevision.com or for guidance on how to tune-in call 0800 MA TATOU ( 0800 62 82868 )

Issue 4, 24 March 2004

1. Five Days to Go!
2. Sunday 28 March 2004
3. L.I.P.S.
4. He Rāranga Kōrero
5. Animation
6. Mau Mahara
7. Getting to Air
8. Tuning in to Māori Television
9. For More Information

Comment from Julian Wilcox, Sports Presenter.

“E kainamu ana te whaitaita!”

Kua puka katoa te hunga e taunaki nei, otiia, e tauwhiro nei i a Whakaata Māori. Tērā pea, kua kanae tahatū ētahi, he pūreirei whakamatuatanga noa pea tēnei wā ki ētahi atu. Ki a au nei, ko te mea nui, kua kitea he hunga whakaroperope i te kaupapa, e morimoria ai tēnei puiaki ā tātou.

Heoi, he huroaroa ngā whakamahukitanga i a tātou e paha nei ki te wa. Kāore e nui ana ngā takunetanga e kitea ai ēnei momo whakaaturanga. Nā, i a tātou e pūnui ana ki tōna hautakitanga, me hoki ngā mahara ki te kāhui kahika kua riro, ka tika. Kua roa rawa tātou e totoka ana. Iaianei, ko tātou anō te ngahunga atu mo te harakerake. Te tāea pea e tātou te wareware ki ngā ngarengaretanga me te papatoiake o ngā whakamāherehere. Engari, aua atu te maunawenawe mo tetahi raro pōtehetehe nei. Kua mutu tā tātou komuhu i tēnei wā. Kua wheta ake te wā whakatihi mo te reo Māori me te ao Māori. Whakanuia! Katahi te kaupapa haraki rawa atu!

E tumeke ana ahau i te tini o ngā pūkenga te tīhao mai nei. Me taku monoa ki te hunga kua whakakao mai. Inā, ka tauwhiro atu, ka manaaki mai. Whakatoitoi atu ana, aro nui mai ana. Arā, kua uru kahikatea te tū. Ka mutu, e kore e whakangaueue taku huatau mo te hihiritanga o ngā kaimahi ki te ratonga nei. Kia kī noa ake au i konei, ahakoa porotaika mai, pūnuku mai, ka eke.

Kei noho tātou ka pōhēhē, kua wāwae ake te ara māmā ki mua i a mātou. Ahakoa te hīkaka me te kaikā, ka nui tonu tā mātou whakatonu i a mātou anō. Me te mea nei, e kore pea te pīkauranga nei e taimaha. Engari mō tēnā! He houanga whawhati kō kei te haere! Nō reira, ahakoa tātou e kainamu ana ki te wā whaitaita mo te Whakaata Māori, e mātautia ana e te iwi, kei tua o tāwauwau te tino o ngā mahi.

Na Julian Wilcox