An AC Nielsen telephone survey has confirmed that nearly 70% of Maori are watching Māori Television.

The nationwide survey of 400 Māori aged 15-plus was conducted in the 10 days following the channel’s launch. The results tell us the following:

• 84% of Māori are aware of the launch of the channel;
• 69% have watched Māori Television;
• 69% were likely to watch Māori Television during the forthcoming week;
• 68% of Māori say they can receive Māori Television
• Of the 400 surveyed, 12% are fluent speakers of te reo, 78% have basic te reo, and 10% are non-speakers of te reo Māori.

Programmes Coming Up...

Coast – Fridays at 9.00 pm
Friday night television in New Zealand just got a whole lot better - thanks to Māori Television’s new weekly music show, COAST. The two-hour live music event screening between 9pm and 11pm features a diverse range of live studio performances, field reports, interviews and artist profiles as well as interactive elements like text messaging. COAST presents a stellar line up of live performances by Mareko, Anika Moa and Ill Semantics. Guest Host Frankie Stevens also pops in part way through the show and joins regular presenters Shavaughn Ruakere, Brent Mio and Bgurl Sheeq.

He Raranga Kōrero – Past and Present

He Raranga Kōrero travels back in time to 1960 when Waiwhetu Marae was being built in Hutt City, Wellington (Māori Arts and Culture: Carving and Décor – Saturday 17 April at 4 pm). It was opened in September that year by the then Prime Minister and local MP Sir Walter Nash, and local Māori MP and Maori Minister E. Tirakatene. He Raranga Kōrero also profiles eight people born and raised in Otara who achieve success despite the stereotypes of their South Auckland birthplace (Otara: Defying The Odds – Sunday 18 April at 6.30).

Babakiueria (Barbecue Area)
Wednesday 14 April at 9.30 pm

This wry mockumentary reverses the roles, imagining what it would be like if an Aboriginal fleet arrived to settle an Australia already inhabited by white natives. It examines the plight of the oppressed white minority who, having been dispossessed of their land, must obey the laws and customs of the black majority. Through satire, many questions concerning past and present treatment and attitudes to Aborigines are examined.

Te Puhi Kai Ariki –
Thursday 15 April at 9.00 pm

A salute to the women who have been involved with the Māori Women’s Welfare League over the past 50 years. The Māori Women’s Welfare League held its inaugural conference in Wellington in September 1951, with 187 branches represented. The first president was the late Dame Whina Cooper and first patron, Te Puea Herangi.

Utu – Sunday 18 April at 9.30 pm

Leading a group of colonial troops through his country, a scout, Te Wheke, finds a burning village whose inhabitants have been massacred. It is a military blunder, the village was 'friendly' and the dead are Te Wheke's people. The horror drives him to seek utu. Te Wheke's pursuit of revenge leads him into confrontation with Jonathan Williamson whose need for vengeance is as strong as Te Wheke's. Set in New Zealand in the 1870s and starring Anzac Wallace, Bruno Lawrence, Merata Mita and Tama Poata.

Koro’s Hat – Tuesday 13 April at 9.00 pm

For Koro, hats are part of the style of his generation. For Babe, hats are a fun way of dressing up. A story of the love between an old man and his granddaughter. Written by Debra Reweti and directed by Don Selwyn.

L.I.P.S. – Sundays at 5.30 pm

Don’t forget to watch out for the weekly top 10 Māori and Pacific Island videos with Te Awanui Reeder on L.I.P.S (Locking Into Pacific Sound) every Sunday at 5.30 pm. Some TV guides may show it screening on Saturday evenings but this has since been amended.

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 7, 13 April 2004