A BRIEF HISTORY OF MĀORI, RADIO BROADCASTING

by Henare R. te Ua (Ngāti Porou), QSM, QCM

Kauaka e warewaretia ngā pākeke o te reo irirangi! Nā rātou i takahi te huarahi o te ao Māori me te ao Pākeha ki te paoho te reo Māori me o mātou tikanga i runga o te reo irirangi. No reira, mihi mai ki a rātou.

Remember the kaumātua of Māori broadcasting – those who pioneered the broadcasting- highway we, as broadcasters are travelling along today. They were comfortable in both Māori and Pākeha worlds and carried with them tikanga, and reo. So, greet them.

Who were, these pioneers? Professor James Shelley, Director of early broadcasting, during the 1930s appointed four air-staff Māori, one each in the four main centres. In Auckland, Ngāti Whātua’s Lou Paul a skilled singer and musician, in Wellington, Kingi Tahiwi of Ngāti Raukawa’s musically talented Tahiwi whānau – he died over North Africa while serving with the Royal Air Force, Ngai Tahu’s Te Ari Pitama was appointed in Christchurch, and Wharekauri (Chatham Islands’) Airini Grennel in Dunedin.

While not appointed as “Māori broadcasters”, they were bi-culturally adept broadcasters who were Māori, each possessing style and flair and te reo which they used on-air. My opinion is that their personal, outgoing charismas quietly opened their Pākeha colleagues’ insights into te ao Māori – the Māori world – and were at the genesis of Māori broadcating.

Breakthrough during the early 1940s. Māori kaumātua clamoured to parliamentarians to hear in te reo Māori, activities of the NZ (28) Māori Battalion. The pleas were heard.

Wiremu Parker (Ngāti Porou), a dapper Civil Servant engaged with the Department of Education, lecturer at Victoria University, faultless dual linguist, familiar with Government policies, was appointed first Māori news reader presenting a once weekly fifteen minute news bulletin in Māori. He vowed never to use a Pākeha word in his bulletins, and did not. (The way he got around “submarine” was ingenious!)

Bill did not have editorial freedom. Each item he translated and read emanated from the office of the Prime Minister! He broadcast the weekly Māori news clad in his overcoat as immediately after the broadcast, he’d quickly walk to Wellington’s railway station to catch a late train home.
One evening just before going on-air, the sound engineer told Bill there was a ‘phone call for him from the Right Reverend Frederick Augustus Bennett, first Bishop of Aotearoa.

“Pānuitia te mea kua mate ….” and the Bishop named a prominent Ngāti Kahungunu rangatira who’d died and added the name of the marae where the tangi would take place.

Bill quaked because the item hadn’t been passed by the PM’s office. Should he read the item from the Bishop, or not? He did so, as a throwaway item at the end of the bulletin and worried about the reaction from the Director.

Next morning, he presented himself to the Director and confessed to broadcasting an unauthorised item! The Director said, “It’s about time you selected your own items” and gave Bill editorial freedom. He was associated with Māori broadcasting for forty years. Often standing in for him was Wiremu (Bill) Ngata, a son of Ngāti Porou’s Sir Apirana Ngata.

During the 1950s, Ted Nēpia (Ngāti Kahungunu), a teacher who served with the NZ (28) Māori Battalion broadcast a weekly twenty minute Māori current affairs programme from the Napier radio station. Completely in Māori, “Te Reo O Te Māori” continued for many years and became absorbed into New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s Māori Programmes Section set up in 1964 under the managership of Leo Fowler.

Fowler (Ngāti Pākeha) joined radio in 1937. He knew broadcasting’s politics, knew who’s back to scratch, was comfortable in front of or behind the microphone and was skilled in budgeting He took Broadcasting’s large mobile broadcasting studio throughout NZ recording reminiscences from both Māori and Pākeha people. He’d been the popular manager at Gisborne’s radio station and heard the pleas of influential Māori for more Māori programmes to be broadcast. He accepted the challenge.

His genius was to second Wiremu (Bill) Kerekere (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) as his right hand person. Leo had wide broadcasting knowledge, Bill was comfortable on any marae of Māoridom, was a skilled linguist, a renowned Māori songs’ composer, cultural group tutor and brilliant pianist.

They made a formidable team, their microphones becoming familiar sights at major hui, tangihanga, Hui Toopu, Hui Aranga, cultural festivals in many parts of Aotearoa, Coronation hui and at Waitangi. The post- produced programmes were narrated either by Bill Kerekere or Wiremu Parker.

Māori broadcasters who joined the section included Selwyn Muru (Ngāti Kuri) and Haare Williams (Ngai Tuhoe, Aitanga-a-Māhaki) both based in Auckland, and in Wellington Whai Ngata (Ngāti Porou), Hāmuera Mitchell (Te Arawa) and John Rōpata. The Section thrived – current affairs, magazine programmes, news bulletins. When Leo Fowler died, Bill Kerekere became manager.

Fast forward to the mid 1970s. Pacific Islands’ people echoed the original Māori plea, for a place for them on- air. Derek Fox (Ngāti Porou) was seconded from Television to set up a radio broadcasting unit which included both Māori and Pacific broadcasters.

This led to the birth of Te Reo O Aotearoa, Radio NZ’s Māori and Pacific Islands’ Broadcasting Unit with studios and offices established in Hunters Corner, Papatoetoe. Haare Williams was appointed manager. He drew into his Māori team, Pūrewa Biddle (Ngai Tūhoe), Te Pere Curtis (Ngāti Pikiao), John Tūrei (Ngai Tuhoe) together with Whai Ngata.

Just as Fowler and Kerekere’s microphones were familiar sights, so too were Te Reo O Aotearoa’s Māori section augmented by those of our whanaunga o ngā moutere o Te Moananui-ā-Kiwa – our Pacific relatives.

Te Reo O Aotearoa born in 1978 survived for twenty years broadcasting in Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands’ Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and Fijian vernacular languages. Part-time Maori News broadcasters included Hōhua Tutengaehe (Ngai Terangi mai i te Wai Pounamu), Hahona Paraki (Tai Tokerau mai i te Wai Pounamu), Pou Temara (Ngai Tūhoe), and Te Awaroa (Bill) Nēpia (Ngāti Hauiti/Ngāti Porou). During the 1990s, Te Maehe Pokipoki Nikora (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti
Porou), Hemana Waaka (Ngai Tūhoe) and Te Arani Peita (Tai Tokerau) were on permanent staff.

I joined NZBC’s commercial section during the early 1960s and after being the first person to attend the Corporation’s Announcer’s Training Centre in Wellington for three months, was then appointed to Radio Northland in Whangārei for thirteen years before accepting the appointment as announcer-in-charge at Radio Geyserland, Rotorua.

From the time of Te Reo O Aotearoa’s launch, Haare Williams would second me from Rotorua to front Te Reo’s major broadcasts. In 1979, I moved from Rotorua to Te Reo to take over staff training and produce programmes, succeeding as Manager when Haare became General Manager of Radio Aotearoa.

In 1984, Koro Wetere, Minister of Māori Affairs convened Te Hui Taumata focussing on furthering Māori Economic Development. One of the major areas discussed was Māori Broadcasting. After the hui, Wetere appointed an advisory committee “to prepare a five year development plan for Māori Broadcasting that embraces Television and Radio”. Under the chairmanship of Toby Curtis (Ngāti Pikiao), members included Donna Awatere (Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa), Graeme Edwin, Managing Director of Radio ‘I’, Derek Fox, Ernie Leonard (Ngāti Rangiwewehi), Mereta Mita, Don Selwyn (Ngāti Maniapoto), Haare Williams and myself.

Our completed Report was forwarded to the Minister and a major outcome was the establishment of Radio Aotearoa. Its history is another story and so too is the history of the fledgling establishment of Iwi Stations which have burgeoned into what they are today.

No reira, mihi atu ki a rātou ngā kaumātua. Aha koa kua ngaro te nuinga o koutou ki te pō, kaore koutou e warewaretia.

Noho ora mai,
Henare te Ua (Ngāti Porou), Radio New Zealand.

(Henare “retired” from Radio NZ but still worked on a part time contract producing programmes. He received many broadcasting awards including the coveted top Radio Industry Award, “Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting” He also received two Radio NZ’s Director General’s Awards and a Ta Kingi Ihaka Award from Te Waka Toi of Creative New Zealand.  Sadly, Henare passed away on 2nd May 2007.)....