February 16, 2024
Bilingual blast for Indigenous lead match up
Tonight’s Indigenous NRL All-Stars versus Māori game is an opportunity to share the reo of Aotearoa.
Veteran sports broadcaster Dale Husband, Rugby World Cup 2023 reo Māori commentator Tūmamao Harawira and former Kiwi Ferns captain Honey Hireme-Smiler will be responsible for the bilingual commentary.
Sky Sport’s Māori strategy lead Kirstin Te Wao-Edmonds says over a third of New Zealanders enjoy rugby league, at least 20 percent of whom are Māori.
She says the bilingual broadcast is a way to make te reo Māori accessible for all sports fans.
“I guess the opportunity of bringing bilingual commentary to our audiences is about making it inclusive. So we know it’s good for Māori. We want to demonstrate and showcase te reo Māori to a broad range of audiences right across Aotearoa to that 1.4 million people and showcasing Māori leadership is part of that,” Ms Te Wao-Edmonds says.
NRL All Stars Women’s Game will kick off first at 7:50pm New Zealand time, with the men’s game at 10:10pm on Sky channel 51