By Matthew Tukaki, General Manager, Radio Waatea
At midnight on March 31, 2026, a service that has stood for nearly two decades will go silent.
Not because it failed.
Not because communities turned away from it.
But because a decision has been made – without a plan, without a replacement, and without regard for the people who rely on it every single day.
Let’s be clear: this is not reform.
This is not evolution.
This is abandonment.
The decision by Te Māngai Pāho to end funding for the national Te Reo Māori radio news service is, quite simply, disgraceful. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what Māori radio is, who it serves, and why it matters.
For nearly twenty years, this service has delivered more than just news. It has carried te reo Māori into homes, cars, workplaces, and communities across Aotearoa. It has connected whānau to kaupapa that matter. It has informed, educated, and, at times, protected.
Because that is the part that seems to have been forgotten in all of this.
Radio is not just a platform.
It is infrastructure.
When emergencies hit – and we have seen this time and again – it is radio that remains. When the internet goes down, when cell towers fail, when power is patchy and television signals cannot reach, Māori radio stays on air.
It becomes the lifeline.
To remove a national news service in that context is not just short-sighted – it is dangerous.
We are told this decision is driven by a 25 percent funding reduction. That may be true. But the choice of what to cut reveals priorities. And in this case, a core, foundational service – one that directly serves communities, supports language revitalisation, and strengthens the Māori media ecosystem – has been sacrificed.
What is most alarming is not just what has been cut, but what has been overlooked.
The proposed alternative, Te Iho, is built around digital and television delivery. On paper, that may sound modern. In practice, it risks excluding those who are already underserved – our rural communities, our kaumātua, those without reliable internet access, those who depend on the immediacy and accessibility of radio.
Modernisation should not come at the cost of access.
Progress should not leave our people behind.
Radio Waatea offered a solution. A practical, cost-effective pathway to ensure continuity while a replacement was developed. We acted in good faith. We understood what was at stake.
That offer was declined.
So what we are left with is not a transition, but a gap. A complete and avoidable gap. And that responsibility must sit where it belongs.
With Te Māngai Pāho.
This decision will have real and immediate consequences. It will impact staff who have dedicated years to this kaupapa. It will affect stations across the Māori radio network. Most importantly, it will leave listeners – our communities – without a trusted, consistent source of news in te reo Māori.
And they have every right to be angry.
Because this is bigger than one service.
This is about the future of Māori broadcasting.
It is about the protection of te reo Māori.
It is about ensuring our people can access information in ways that work for them – not in ways that are convenient for a strategy document.
There is also a deeper question that must now be asked.
What is the role of Māori media in Aotearoa?
And who gets to decide its future?
For decades, Māori radio has stood as a backbone of communication, culture, and community. It has adapted, evolved, and delivered — often under pressure, often underfunded, but always with purpose.
To see it sidelined in this way is not just disappointing.
It is a breach of trust.
But this is not the end of the conversation.
If anything, this is a line in the sand.
We will be engaging with the wider Māori radio network. We will be speaking with stakeholders. We will be exploring every option to ensure that the voices of our people are not diminished, and that access to information – especially in te reo Māori – is not treated as optional.
Because it is not optional.
It is essential.
And Māori radio will not be quietly dismantled.
