Media Releases
RNZ Highlights: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Released at 12:53 pm on 11 September 2025
VIDEO PODCAST | TE REO MĀORI
Whakamāori 3
Wednesday 17 September
Whakamāori is back! The third season of this award-winning podcast and video series launches this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Nau mai hoki mai ki te terenga tuatoru o Whakamāori - where the world meets te reo Māori. This season continues the kaupapa of normalising te reo Māori across all spaces - the serious, the silly, the everyday and the unexpected. From pop culture to politics, waiata to whakataukī, Whakamāori shows that the language is everywhere. Returning to lead the kaupapa are Chey Milne and Tākuta Anaha Hiini, joined each week by a rotating guest whose whakamāori skills, reo style, and whakaaro bring fresh energy to every episode. Together, they don’t just translate - they unpack meaning, challenge assumptions, and highlight how te reo Māori can express the full range of human experience.
Whether you're fluent, learning, or just listening in, Whakamāori is an invitation to see the world through a Māori lens - one kupu at a time. Made with the support of Te Māngai Pāho. Watch on rnz.co.nz/video or listen on rnz.co.nz/podcast or on podcast apps from Wednesday 17 September, new episodes weekly.
VIDEO PODCAST | TE REO MĀORI
Hori on a Hīkoi - Hīkoi Reo
Out now
E kore au e ngaro, tōku reo rangatira - The reo Māori journey is different for everyone. In this Hīkoi Reo series Hori explores the experience of growing up in Ōtaki which is now considered one of the most bilingual towns in Aotearoa. He tamaiti o Raukawa Kōhanga Reo Hori went on to a ‘mainstream’ college where he made a conscious decision to stop speaking Māori . It would take nearly two decades to return home to Ōtaki to re learn his language.
Watch on rnz.co.nz/video. With support from Te Wānanga o Raukawa & Te Māngai Pāho.
PODCAST | TE REO MĀORI
Paewhiri
Monday 15 September
RNZ Podcast Producer Justine Murray, Māori Language teacher Ngairo Eruera, Moana Radio presenter Te Kehukehu Patara host new podcast, Paewhiri a bilingual chatcast steeped in te ao Māori. Paewhiri has been broadcast live on Moana Radio in Tauranga since 2020
Launching on rnz.co.nz/podcasts and podcast platforms from Monday 15 September, with one episode per day during Māori Language Week.
CONCERT | RNZ CONCERT
Music Alive: Tararua – Bird Like Men
Tuesday 16 September, 8pm
Wellington ensemble Tararua takes listeners on an intimate journey as waiata, composition, and improvisations are threaded together with the tale of southern whānau. Bird Like Men weaves together a story of survival, tradition, kinship, and honour. Tararua are: Ariana Tikao (vocals, taonga pūoro), Ruby Solly (vocals, taonga pūoro, cello), Alistair Fraser (taonga pūoro), Phil Boniface (double bass) live in the Loft at Q Theatre.
A concert for Chamber Music New Zealand, recorded by RNZ Concert.
CONCERT | RNZ CONCERT
Toiere
Saturday 20 September, 7pm
Operatic arias, te reo Māori and sublime singing come together in a concert of treasured waiata. Presenting these works in both te reo Māori and their original languages celebrates music’s power to transcend boundaries, deepen connections to heritage, and create new traditions. Experience the beauty, drama, and emotion of these operatic treasures - reimagined through the lens of Aotearoa’s rich cultural tapestry.
Commissioned by the Auckland Arts Festival and NZ Opera. Sound by RNZ Concert. Video by SOUNZ. Listen on RNZ Concert or watch at rnz.co.nz/concert.
Recent releases and regular programming from Te Ao Māori
PODCAST | ARTS & CULTURE
Tukua
Tukua is an arts and cultural panel show that explores an intergenerational response through a Māori lens. The panel is 75-year-old arts activist and author, Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku, Gen X sculptor Brett Graham, and 24-year-old standup comedian, Kura Turuwhenua. The focus is on Māori and Pasifika artists but no-one is safe from the Tukua lens.
Made with the support of the Creative NZ, NZ On Air and RNZ arts and culture podcast co-fund. Listen to the first four episodes at rnz.co.nz/podcasts and podcast apps.
PODCAST | COMMUNITY
Hi Vis Manaaki: Māori Wardens
A Māori and a migrant explore the heart, history and future of Māori Wardens – Aotearoa’s hi-vis kaitiaki of aroha, manaaki, and mana motuhake. Presented and produced by Murdoch Ngahau and Dr. Amber Hammill and made in partnership with RNZ.
Available now at rnz.co.nz/podcasts, podcast apps and broadcast on RNZ National on Sunday mornings after the 7am news.
PODCAST | CURRENT AFFAIRS
Māta
Māta with Mihingarangi Forbes is an in-depth podcast, where Māori newsmakers and commentators unpack the latest political issues impacting Aotearoa.
Episodes out on rnz.co.nz/podcasts and podcast apps and broadcast on RNZ National every second Thursday, 7.30pm after the news headlines. Made with support from NZ On Air & Te Māngai Pāho.
RNZ NATIONAL | TE AO MĀORI
Māpuna
Every Saturday after the midday news, Julian Wilcox talks to Māori throughout Aotearoa, from sports legends to business leaders, to artists and community advocates. Māpuna acknowledges those who are beloved and respected within their communities. 'He māpuna e arohatia ana, e kaingāukautia ana. Listen on RNZ National.
More Te Ao Māori news and stories
News and interviews: The latest stories from Te Ao Māori on rnz.co.nz during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and every day.
The TAHI: Te Wiki o te Reo Maori will be highlighted on The TAHI podcast with guests Hana Mereraiha (Tuesday) and a reo Māori interview with Stacey and Te Manahau Morrison on Thursday. Listen on podcasts apps.
Podcasts: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori playlist
Video: Te ao Māori playlist
