Māori Television can proudly boast that four of its whanau have reached the finals of this year’s Massey University Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Journalism and Broadcasting Awards, which highlight excellence by Māori journalists throughout the industry.
Among the finalists are two Te Ao News journalists, Kereama Wright, who has recently been appointed as an executive producer, and Rukuwai Tipene-Allen, our political reporter in Wellington.
Our other political reporter, Whatitiri Te Wake, has taken the reo Māori current affairs category but for his earlier stories on TVNZ's current affairs show - Marae.
Moana Maniopoto, the presenter of Moana, has also made the finals in the Current Affairs in English category.
The winner of the Te Tohu a Tanara Whairiri Kitawhiti Ngata, Lifetime Achievement Award along with a special commendation will also be announced at the awards next week.
Judges say they were thrilled with the quality of the entries this year, in particular, the large body of work in the current affairs in English category, which made it tough to settle on a winner.
Māori journalism not valued
But they were dismayed that too few of the Māori news stories had made prime time and said this failure had serious implications for the accuracy of "who and what we see reflected back to us in the mainstream."
Mereana Hond, who joined the judging panel from her role as an executive producer with Al Jazeera in Qatar, says Māori journalists should not have to fight to get their stories before the national audience. “The blockage is around news values and practices. If we are to effect real change, we need to see producers and publishers valuing Māori journalism. Without meaningful engagement, we'll just keep missing out on good stories from te ao Māori that matter to us all. And our news won't reflect our society or serve Māori well.”
Fellow judge and the executive director of Ngā Aho Whakaari, Māori in Screen, Hineani Melbourne, also noted the lack of te reo Māori entries in the current affairs arena caused through so few outlets willing to publish long-form Māori language stories. “There is an exciting and flourishing competency in te reo, among Māori journalists and news organisations need to embrace this. These awards prove we have the reporters capable of doing incredible current affairs in Te Reo Māori – they just need the opportunities.”
Massey University will host the National Māori Journalism Hui next week to discuss issues in the media industry, with the new Māori Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson to discuss his plans to restructure the sector.
The online hui on Thursday, December 10 will be followed by the announcement of the winners of the Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Journalism and Broadcasting Awards.
The finalists in the three categories are:
News in English: Mani Dunlop, RNZ; Meriana Johnsen, RNZ; and Carmen Parahi, Stuff
News in te reo Māori: Hania Douglas, TVNZ; Rukuwai Tipene-Allen, Māori Television; and Kereama Wright, Māori Television.
Current Affairs in English: Te Aniwa Huihanganui, RNZ; Moana Maniopoto, Māori Television; and Tania Page, TVNZ