Te Karere's contribution to te reo Māori

Te Karere, a pioneer of Māori news on mainstream television, went to air for the first time during Māori Language Week 42 years ago.

It started as a short bulletin before the evening news, and a year after that, it was given a four-minute slot. Now it's grown to a 30-minute news bulletin bringing Māori voices and perspectives to a national audience in te reo.

Māori broadcasting legend Tini Molyneux started at Te Karere in the early 1980s. She said views about broadcasting te reo Māori have changed dramatically.

"I roto i ngā tau kua pahure kua kitea pea e te hunga Pākehā, e te hunga kāore i te Māori te wāriu o ngā kaupapa Māori e puta ana ki te ao (Since then, the likes of Pākehā and non-Māori have seen the value of Māori issues that gets aired)."

Molyneux spent over three decades years at TVNZ working for Te Karere and 1News before a brief retirement stint, but eventually returned to the industry, this time working in Whakaata Māori's newsroom. She has seen an increase in interest from non-Māori in Māori stories.

"I ngā wā o mua, ko ngā Māori anahe i titiro ai ki ērā tūmomo kaupapa, engari i roto i tēnei ao hurihuri kua kitea he whānui atu te kaupapa me ngā āhuatanga e whaia ana e te Māori (Back in the day only Māori were interested in what we covered, but now in this everchanging world people see that Māori are covering a wide range of issues and events)."

And executive producer Rapaera Tawhai said the numbers prove it's not just Māori who tune in.

"He neke atu i te 60,000 ki te 100,000 tāngata ka mātaki i a Te Karere mai i te Mane ki te Paraire, engari tērā ngā wā ka nui noa atu i tēnā (Over 60,000 to 100,000 people watch Te Karere from Monday to Friday, and there are times when the number is much higher than that)."

He said although the show is in te reo, people watch for the unique perspective on national issues as well as insight into te ao Māori.

"Ko ngā kōrero, ko ngā pūrākau ēnei nā te Māori mō te Māori, engari mō Aotearoa whānui anō hoki (The stories and reports are from Māori and for Māori, but they are also relevant to all of Aotearoa)."

Not only has public perception on te reo Māori changed, but Molyneux is pleased to see — and hear — how much those working in mainstream media have embraced te reo Māori.

"I taku timatatanga i tēnei mahi, kāre he paku tangata i roto i te ao pāpāho Pākehā a 1News e mōhio ana ki te kōrero Māori (At the beginning of my career there were very few people within the 1News newsroom who knew how to speak Māori).

"Ināianei kua puta te miharo i a rātou ki te whakarongo ki te hunga [rā], i a Melissa Stokes, i a Lisa Owen, i a Guyon Espiner, Corin Dann — ko ērā tangata kua mahi au ki te taha o rātou, ana he tino miharo ki te whakarongo atu ki a rātou e kōrero Māori ana ināianei (Now I'm amazed listening to the likes of Melissa Stokes, Lisa Owen, Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann — my former colleagues — it's truly wonderful to listen to them speaking Māori now)."

Longtime presenter Scotty Morrison has been the public face of Te Karere for 22 years. He's seen a lot of change to the show over the decades, including in staff.

"I te wā i tīmata ai au, i konei tonu ngā taniwha o te ao pāpāho Māori, a Hirini Henare mā, a Tini Molyneux, Hinerangi Goodman, Martin Rakuraku — ērā tipua, hautipua anō rā hoki o te ao pāpāho Māori (When I first started here, we still had the pioneers of Māori broadcasting, the likes of Hirini Henare, Tini Molyneux, Hinerangi Goodman, Martin Rakuraku — all legends of Māori broadcasting)."

Te Karere has also seen the likes of Mihingarangi Forbes, Julian Wilcox, and Oriini Kaipara through its studios, cutting their teeth on the way to becoming leading Māori broadcasters and industry veterans. Now, "he whakatupuranga anō kei Te Karere e ako ana me pehea (there's a new generation at Te Karere who are learning the ropes)", said Morrison.

Te Karere isn't just a Māori news show, said Morrison.

"He taonga i whakatūria ai hei whakarauora i tō tātou reo, hei whakamāhorahora i tō tātou reo ki te motu, hei kawe anō hoki i ō tātou kaupapa i roto i ō tātou hapori (It's a treasure that was established to revitalise our language, to normalise and make our language feel comfortable in homes around the country, to broadcast what matters to us in our own communities)."

Tawhai said it's important for mainstream audiences to be exposed to te reo Māori in order for revitalisation efforts to stick.

"Mā ēnei hōtaka nei e pūmau ai te noho o tō tātou reo, e pau ai tō tātou reo Māori ki Aotearoa whānui nei, e rongohia ai te hunga kore toto Māori ki tō tātou reo rangatira, me te āta whirinaki ki tō tātou reo Māori e mōhio ai rātou, ehara i te mea mō te Māori anake te reo Māori engari mō Aotearoa whānui (These programmes help ensure the persistence of our language, maintain its presence across Aotearoa and allow those who are not Māori to hear and connect with our language, so they understand that the Māori language is not just for Māori, but for all of Aotearoa).

"Mā Te Karere tonu tērā o ngā waka e hoe, e tutuki ai tērā whainga (Te Karere will do its part to help achieve this goal)."