Māori Language Dream Accomplished With Māori Television

(Click on the images for a larger view)

The launch of Māori Television realises a dream and marks a key weigh point in the journey to save the Māori language, the service' s Chairman said on Sunday.

Māori Television Chairman Wayne Walden said the official opening of the channel is the culmination of 30 years of hard work by a great many people.

"The impact of television on our every day society is undeniable. A key role of Māori Television is to normalise the use of te reo Māori, to make it relevant to people from all walks of life, and show it in use in everyday settings that are relevant to them.

"In this role the channel is a servant of te reo me nga tikanga Māori,"
Mr Walden said.

From its inception the board of Māori Television has held a strong view that this channel should also be a window into the
Māori world, imparting knowledge to all New Zealanders.

Mr Walden said recent public debate has shown that many New Zealanders have very little knowledge about this nation's history
and about Māori society.

"From now on, every person in this country will have more access to programmes and information about Māori than they have ever had before - our history and culture, our old people, our young people and our dreams for the future.

"This is another key role for Māori Television: To become the leader in increasing knowledge and understanding of the Māori world for all New Zealanders," Mr Walden said.

Programming is vibrant, energetic and diverse to achieve both of these roles.

The Board accepts that Māori television has been, and will continue to be, heavily scrutinised. The Board and management of this channel have worked extremely hard, and will continue to work hard, to ensure this channel will stand up to that scrutiny.

"We launch today - free to air on UHF reaching nearly 82 percent of all Māori. We have satellite coverage over the whole country for the one-off cost of a receiver and dish. Our plan is to expand coverage as funding allows," he said.

Mr Walden asks that the public of New Zealand hold their judgement of Māori Television until they have had an opportunity to view it for themselves.

"In the short term, our success and relevance can be measured by the number of people who watch us. In the longer term, our success and relevance will be measured by the number of speakers of te reo Māori and the role we play in better increasing understanding of our culture."

In the meantime, today is a day of celebration for all New Zealanders, Mr Walden said.

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 5, 29 March 2004

Comment from Wayne Walden,
Māori Television Chairman

Tihei mauri-ora!
Mauri-ora ki te rangi!
Mauri-ora ki te whenua!
Mauri-ora ki ā tātou katoa!

E ngā puna roimata, tēnā koutou!
E ngā māngai kōrero, tēnā koutou!

E ngā manuhiri tūārangi,
E ngā waewae tapu,
E ngā hau e whā,
Nau mai!
Piki mai!
Haere mai!

Tōku reo, tōku oho-oho
Tōku reo, tōku māpihi maurea
Tōku reo, tōku whakakai marihi.

The story of this channel goes back a long way.

In the 1930s Sir Apirana Ngata expressed concern about the future of the Māori language.

In the sixties the first groups to fight for the language were formed.

By the 1980s Māori were deeply concerned about the state of our language.

Only 10 percent of Māori were fluent speakers and most were elderly.

The Waitangi Tribunal said in 1986, "Māori culture is a part of the heritage of New Zealand and the Māori language is at the heart of that culture. If the language dies the culture will die, and something quite unique will have been lost to the world."

There followed the emergence of Māori language education starting with Kohanga Reo.

The first Māori radio station began broadcasts in Wellington.

But it took court action right to the level of the Privy Council and until the early nineties for the Crown to recognise that the Māori language was in a "perilous state" and that it had an obligation to promote the language through broadcasting.

Māori Television, while not the total answer, will play a vital role in protecting and developing Māori language and culture so it is not lost to the world.

Click here to view complete speech.