The country's only te reo Māori radio news bulletin is about to end after 20 years on air.
Radio Waatea, also known as Waatea News, is set to switch off at midnight as the wider Māori radio network faces potential funding cuts. There are fears some stations will be forced to close.
Funding agency Te Māngai Pāho is facing a 25% to 30% cut, around $16 million of “time-limited” funding. It funds 21 Māori radio stations across the country – with Radio Waatea still listed on their website.
The station has also been told they could face baseline funding cuts of up to 30% from July, reducing their annual allocation to around $440,000.
General manager Matthew Tukaki said remaining iwi radio stations will struggle in the foreseeable climate.
“Seriously, about a third of those radio stations are not going to be able to sustain funding cuts of between 25 and 30%.”
He said iwi radio stations provide a critical service.
“Those storms on the East Coast and up North, you know, we're talking about how we get information to our whānau and communities about where the local marae is open, right through to 'don't drive down those roads or cross those bridges'.
"Places where Radio NZ, and sadly, I'd argue, TVNZ with their broadcast waves aren't able to reach.”
Te Māngai Pāho confirmed no replacement has been funded and that options are under “active consideration.”
They said Radio Waatea’s contract to record and distribute the bulletin was always due to end and is the result of a broader Maori media review aimed at improving quality and reducing duplication.
The organisation added that it’s consulting with the Māori media sector on future funding priorities, including how best to support high-quality Māori news and current affairs content.
Tukaki said he had read all the agreements and manifestos of the coalition partners and they made no mention of cuts to the Māori radio network. When asked by TVNZ's Breakfast how he saw the government prioritising Māori media he was straightforward.
“I'm not seeing Māori media prioritised at all, to be frank. I mean, we do an incredibly outstanding job. We are value for money that the taxpayer needs to understand the return of investment that they get from iwi Māori radio, and we're not talking about huge amounts of money. We're literally talking about paltry sums of money.”
He added: “This was all about how we project our stories, our waiata, our news, our language across the airwaves from AM to FM, and now obviously online. It's a sad day where we get news and current affairs, and our stories, from short form, 30-second TikTok videos.”
He said Māori stories are about inspiration and entrepreneurship.
“How we express ourselves and project ourselves is how others see us which is what we're attempting to do here. But also, it's about not only the survival of te reo Māori as a language, it's about how we thrive.
“We're a very unique country and we should be proud of that. We should hold back in stepping forward to be proud of who we are as a nation.”
Iwi radio stations threaten legal action
Iwi radio stations across the motu are warning they may take legal action if proposed government funding cuts go ahead.
The national Māori radio network Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori o Aotearoa said these cuts would threaten the survival of iwi stations and breach the Crown's treaty obligations to actively protect te reo Māori.
Stations have been told to prepare for potential funding reductions of up to 30%, alongside changes that could centralise control of news content away from iwi.
Iwi broadcasters say Māori radio is a Treaty remedy, not a discretionary service, and accuse the Crown of trying to sidestep its responsibilities through Te Māngai Pāho.
The national iwi radio network says it will not accept any cut to funding and is calling on the crown to engage directly, warning court action remains on the table if no resolution is reached.
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka told 1News he does not direct or intervene in Te Māngai Pāho’s operational funding decisions and the Government continues to “back Māori media and broadcasting through sustained investment”.
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