Aotearoa TikTok creators Judah Metu-Teaukura and Paaka Davis have won big across the Tasman scooping top prizes at the 2023 TikTok Awards in Sydney on Wednesday evening and flying the flag for Māori pride and success.
“Bro, I wasn’t expecting that. I really wasn’t,” a shocked Metu-Teaukura told a star-studded audience of more than 1500 creators, VIPs and celebrities at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
Metu-Teaukura, who goes by @judaxx on the social media platform, won the first-ever NZ Creator of the Year 2023 award, while Davis, a reo Māori advocate, took the top prize for Live Creator of the Year, showing his support for calls to Toitū Te Tiriti, honour the Treaty, and offering a mihi to his whānau and supporters.
“A big message out to all my supporters, everybody who is tuned into my livestream right now, my family...,” said Davis, who is Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Te Whānau a Kai and Ngāti Kahungungu. “Shout out to everybody who was at the protest yesterday ...”
@tiktok_australia congrats @Paaka Davis 🥹 #TikTokAwards ♬ original sound - TikTok Australia
“Shout out to everybody who puts their life on the line, whether that’s on live streaming or whether that’s blimmin’ making video content, I’ve got love and appreciation for you all. And just keep going, keep doing your thing, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Mauri ora.”
Metu-Teaukura thanked “everyone back in Aotearoa, all our creators back there.”
“I’d like to celebrate everyone back home, and thank you guys so much, I really appreciate it.”