We strive to be fair, accurate and balanced in how we represent the events, values, and aspirations of our staff , partners and community. We always act in a way that is mana-enhancing, authentic, and with integrity and honesty.
Our content is distinct and authentically Māori. We are trusted to share stories in a responsible and balanced way. We celebrate diversity and promote different perspectives and ideas.
People are the centre of everything we do. We are guided by manaakitanga – the process of showing respect, generosity, and care for others – as we strive to be kanohi kitea within our vibrant community. We build strong relationships through shared experiences and collaboration, sharing our love and valuing that love in return.
Like our tūpuna – who were inspiring leaders, navigators and innovators – our content is adventurous and creative. We use our natural creative talents, cultural expertise and global connectivity to inspire and connect people to te ao Māori, enriching their lives. We bring a fresh voice and perspective that resonates with the country and the world, hungry for authentic storytelling.
Grounded in our culture, language and stories, we bravely define innovative ways to fulfil our kaupapa for current and future generations. We are courageous in our decision-making, acting with clear intent to deliver our kaupapa in a distinct and uniquely Māori way.
Commencing this year, we noted the Whakaata Māori journey requires clear navigation, planning, innovation and risk-taking to reach our ultimate destination – a place where Māori people and Māori language are thriving. Now more than ever, this journey has required all aspects of our waka to be looking ahead and beyond.
Continues to set our course for achieving our vision for the organisation. Since 2018, it has shifted us from focusing on outputs to achieving outcomes. By adopting an improved way to measure and evaluate our impact, we can see the direct outcomes we achieve and our contribution to outcomes we share with our partners.
Is our two-year strategic plan, developed to define key strategic choices and prioritise initiatives that inform where Whakaata Māori will focus resources.
We are building a thriving, respected kaupapa Māori organisation that enables our people to build their own connection to te reo and te ao Māori
We work with our partners to achieve their own strategies to revitalise te reo me ngā tikanga Māori
We provide entertaining and relevant content that connects our audiences with te ao and tikanga Māori and inspires and supports them to learn and use te reo
Our audience is everything: we were founded through a long campaign by Māori to protect te reo and tikanga Māori. We stand in a unique and proud legacy of protecting te reo Māori and creating focused content as our audience and their viewing needs evolve.
of Māori agree that Whakaata Māori enables them to learn about te ao Māori
of all viewers agree that our service inspires and enables them to learn te reo Māori
of Māori viewers agree they have greater value for Māori stories and perspectives due to our service
We have always taken an educational and entertainment approach to our content for tamariki. This continues to be important for whānau raising tamariki in te reo Māori and tamariki in Māori-medium educational settings.
Whānau raising children are a unique target audience due to their being a collective group with diverse age ranges with a focus on inter-generational transmission. They seek content that is safe for their children to view, whether as ‘distraction’ content, educational content or entertaining content, to watch as together as a whānau.
Rangatahi speakers of te reo Māori are a diverse segment whose needs differ depending on language competency and confidence levels. They want Whakaata Māori to reflect their modern selves, inspire and fortify pride in Māori culture and identity, and give them tools to successfully engage with their world. In 2022, Whakaata Māori relaunched TUKU HQ, a Rangatahi hub dedicated to engaging with their peers on social media at all levels of te reo. We also launched Māori Active and our ground-breaking partnership with the New Zealand Sports Collective, whereby te reo Māori is being introduced to more than 50 Rangatahi sports nationwide.
With the increasing number of people learning te reo Māori, active learners are generally considered to be those who are learning te reo Māori as a second language and want to gain more knowledge about Māori culture.
Our fluent-speaking audience want entertaining and informative content across a diverse selection of topics and genres. Importantly, they want to relax and enjoy content across new and diff erent types of shows in te reo Māori, while still consuming favourites like kapa haka.
We are committed to being present for national and community events that are important to Māori and Aotearoa. Broadcasting small and large events is important for our people across the motu to share in distinctly Māori experiences or have other events seen through a Māori lens.
Increase In Whakaata Māori audience for the week
Increase in viewing compared to 2021
Television viewers
Increased social media coverage
Growth in television audiences
In social media audiences
Television Audience
Video views
News and Current Affairs continues to be one of our key pillars of success at Whakaata Māori. Both Māori and Non-Māori love tuning in to our news programming to have their news delivered with a Māori and diverse lens. We are pleased to report that Te Ao News’ average weekly audience engagement was up 12% versus the last fi nancial year, and where we experienced growth with our digital news platforms - the Te Ao News App, website, and social media – there was a 20% increase in average weekly audience vs last financial year.
To seek out ethnic diversity to strengthen decision-making and consciously address bias, Whakaata Māori has a diverse workforce of staff.
Staff demographics
Office: 433 East Tāmaki Road East Tāmaki 2013, Auckland, New Zealand
Postal Address: POUAKA POUTĀPETA PO Box 64-341 Botany 2163, New Zealand
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