Sports

CODE SPORTS MORE MEAN ATHLETES – ON MĀORI TELEVISION!

Congratulations to A. Webb from Te Atatu South in Auckland – the winner of the $2,000 Rotorua prize pack! Thanks to the hundreds of viewers who entered the HYUNDAI CODE competition. The lucky winner will have a fun-filled visit to Agroventures with a chance to try the Agrojet, Freefall Xtreme, Swoop, Shweeb and Rotorua Bungy. Mean, Māori, Mean!

Voted Best Sports Programme at last year’s Air New Zealand Screen Awards, HYUNDAI CODE is an hour-long live-to-air show – now in its fourth year – which is filmed in front of a studio audience at Māori Television’s Auckland headquarters. Tawera Nikau and Jenny-May Coffin are joined by Warriors’ Wairangi Koopu and the ‘Brofessionals' – aka Glen Osborne (Oz) and Matua Parkinson (Mutz) – for more news, inside stories and off-camera action with Kiwi sports stars excelling at home and abroad.

HYUNDAI CODE will still score the best guests – past names include Graham Henry, Benji Marshall, David Tua, Ray Sefo, Temepara George, Greg Murphy, Pero Cameron, Ana Scarlett and Luke McAlister – but the goalposts have changed slightly with new production company Toa TV taking over the reins and new sponsor Hyundai joining the team.

Toa TV executive producer Te Kauhoe Wano says the show will continue as a mixture of the panel’s irreverent and cheeky sporting discussions with high profile athletes as well as popular inserts such as the Brofessionals. However, new or revamped segments include:

TOHUNGA TIME – with former Kiwi league legend and mentor Tawera Nikau, a regular segment where ‘T’ goes head-to-head with international sports stars.
TĀ MOKO – throwing the spotlight on the tā moko or tattoo of Māori athletes and the stories behind the designs.
WAIZ GUY – returns for 2008 with Koopu’s exclusive access to the private lives of his Warrior teammates but further enhanced with behind-the-scenes footage from New Zealand’s new-look domestic league competition.
CODE CUZZIES – Māori Media Award winner and NZRL personality of the year finalist Te Arahi Maipi is Māori Television’s face of sport and will provide a slightly off-beat weekly sports wrap where he will be strongly encouraged to stop referring to his home town Taniwharau rugby league team because no one else is interested.
TE KUPU O TE WIKI – or word of the week, where Oz and Mutz will role play catchy Māori language sporting terminologies using their unique humour.
BRO’S COMP – where the ‘bro’s’ challenge another panellist, guest or audience member in a ‘mini-sport’ such as basketball or apple bobbing. The show’s new set will split in two to reveal a grandstand and playing field – so let the games begin!

This year, HYUNDAI CODE not only canvasses New Zealand’s big three – rugby, league and netball – but will also cover sporting codes that are challenging athletes globally.

Utilising the experienced crew and encompassing new sports are just some of the exciting enhancements that Toa TV is facilitating whilst retaining the HYUNDAI CODE secret of success that has made the show what it is to date – simply the best.

Book your ringside seat for hard-case interviews and plenty of laughs with HYUNDAI CODE – screening on Māori Television every Thursday at 8.30 PM (repeats every Sunday at 4.00 PM).