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December 10, 2025
Cuts to Māori broadcasting loom large as 2025 ends
Waatea Team
Posted On December 10, 2025
This week Waatea has been following the story of potential cuts to the Maori media sector. Initially, the cuts were mooted at 30% while some have told Waatea the number is more like 20-25%.
Across Aotearoa, Māori media is evolving rapidly. From TV channels to iwi radio, from linear broadcasts to digital streams – the way Māori stories are told and consumed is shifting. But with that shift comes uncertainty, struggle, and a profound reckoning about how best to keep te reo, tikanga and kaupapa Māori alive in media.
Former broadcasting Minister, the Hon Willie Jackson, took to Question Time in Parliament today to ask the Minister of Maori Development, Tama Potaka, about potential cuts. “how many jobs will be lost across Maori media as a result of a loss of funding …. “The Minister responded that he didnt agree and blamed the previous Government. The Minister also stated he disagreed with the Chair of the funding Agency, Te Mangai Paho.
the CEO of a small Maori production company has told Waatea “we have spent a decade building a great pool of talent but we have had to let some of our Kaimahi go because we cant plan if we know there is no funding available and to make things more difficult the commercialmarket has dried up … “ while another has said “TVNZ takes the lion share of the advertising market – its hard to commercialise our offering when youre up against the Crown owned, State Broadcaster … ”
Recent years have seen major restructuring among Māori media outlets:
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Whakaata Māori (formerly Māori Television) has restructured significantly – cutting its daily television news bulletin and shifting its news operation Te Ao Māori News exclusively to digital.
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The dedicated Māori-language TV channel Te Reo moved off over-the-air broadcasting in 2025 and now operates as an online streaming channel through MĀORI+.
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Meanwhile, Māori media funding is under stress: agencies such as Te Māngai Pāho have had to restructure, which has placed long-running shows under pressure, forcing some to reduce output or re-imagine their format.
- Radio Waatea has started to retrench up to eleven Kaimahi from the 28th of November (although Waatea has secured a slight extension to its funding un til the 30th of March to a “slimmed” down version of its radio bulletin service from the 1st of January to the 30th of March 2026.
Māori radio has become a cornerstone of modern Māori storytelling, but its origins trace back to a fight for language, identity, and representation.
The first iwi radio stations emerged in the early 1980s, during a surge of Māori activism centred on revitalising te reo Māori. Communities pushed for access to the airwaves as a way of preserving language and ensuring Māori voices were heard in public life. The turning point came in 1987, when te reo Māori was recognised as an official language of New Zealand – opening the door for dedicated funding and formal support.
By the early 1990s, the Māori broadcasting landscape expanded, with Te Māngai Pāho established to fund Māori content on both television and radio. That period saw the creation of a national network of iwi radio stations – each reflecting the kaupapa, dialect, and priorities of its own rohe. These stations became vital hubs of local news, kapa haka coverage, tangihanga notices, community updates, and te reo Māori programming.
Across the years, Māori radio has grown into a powerful platform for political commentary, cultural storytelling, and youth engagement. Stations like Radio Waatea, Tainui FM, Ngāti Hine FM, and more than 20 iwi broadcasters now form a collective voice that spans the motu.
Today, Māori radio remains one of the most accessible pathways for hearing te reo Māori in everyday life. It continues to adapt – streaming online, producing podcasts, and reaching Māori audiences both at home and overseas. But its core purpose hasn’t shifted: giving Māori a voice, protecting our language, and strengthening the connection between whānau, hapū, and iwi.
For many listeners, Māori radio isn’t just media – it’s whakapapa on the airwaves.
Check out:
Reikura Kahi | Chair of Te Māngai Pāho
Piripi Walker | Veteran Advocate for Māori Broadcasting and Spectrum Rights
Larry Parr | on the shift in Māori media
And chack out: Peter-Lucas Jones | Changes flagged in funding to Māori radio
Journalists and producers in Māori media say it’s a difficult time – but also one with purpose. As one recent editorial analysis put it: giving airtime to diverse Māori voices – including those challenging mainstream thinking, or Māori-to-Māori debate – is crucial to the media’s role.
One long-time commitment remains: to ensure Māori perspectives are heard on issues affecting our whānau, the whenua, and our future. But with tighter resources, outlets say they must balance tradition and innovation – maintaining quality journalism while adapting to new formats and audiences.
The pressures facing Māori media are many:
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Even before recent cuts, Māori media had significantly lower budgets compared with mainstream outlets – limiting how much content could be produced, and how often.
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The shift to digital-first can make access uneven: not all whānau or communities have reliable internet or devices, which risks marginalising some voices or viewers.
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Engaging younger generations – rangatahi – is difficult. As one media-studies expert recently observed: news content often fails to resonate with youth, who expect different formats, storytelling, and interactivity.
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There’s also the constant tension between editorial independence and community expectation: Māori media outlets are often walking a tight line between representing whānau concerns and providing critical, sometimes controversial, commentary – a role some critics resist.
Even in the face of uncertainty, Māori media continues to adapt and innovate:
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Whakaata Māori’s move to digital with MĀORI+ shows a willingness to evolve with the times – potentially reaching wider audiences, including Kiwi Māori living overseas.
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New content – including reo immersion blocks for tamariki, kaupapa Māori programming, and creative re-imaginings of global stories in te reo – help keep language and culture alive in contemporary formats.
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Māori media’s role remains as important as ever: to tell stories that mainstream media won’t, to amplify Māori voices, to hold power accountable, and to nurture identity, connection and belonging across generations.
For Māori listeners, viewers, and creators – this moment is both precarious and full of opportunity. If we act:
We can support outlets that prioritise Māori language, culture, and perspectives – by tuning in, sharing content, and participating in kōrero. We can advocate for sustainable funding for Māori media, so outlets don’t keep working under constant threat of cuts. We can support and build new formats – rangatahi-driven media, digital storytelling, podcasts, social media channels – imagining a modern Māori media landscape that’s alive, vibrant, and accessible to all whānau.
Māori media has always been more than just news. It has been a waka for our stories, our language, our identity. As the media environment changes – so too must we; but the mission remains the same: to ensure Māori voices continue to be heard, today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
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