The Waatea Team
The team at Waatea are all rounders from those in our joined up newsroom to our content, social producers right through to our schedulers and panel operators. We are a mix of people spread across Aotearoa bringing you stories through a Te Ao Maori lens
Matthew Tukaki
General Manager
Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Matthew Tukaki, Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, is an experienced leader who is a champion for Māori health and social development.
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He is currently chair of a number of entities including the National Māori Authority Ngā Rautahi O Aotearoa, Māori Spectrum Working Group, the Ministry of Health Māori Monitoring Group, and the New Zealand Māori Council Auckland District.
He is the Director of the Office of Suicide Prevention and has served as the Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Board of Oranga Tamariki. Matthew is also the former Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia, GM, Government & Public Sector of one of the world’s largest and oldest employment companies, Drake International, and Chair of Deakin University CSaRO. Matthew has also held a range of senior executive positions in Australia and New Zealand in companies focusing on recruitment, workforce development, media and marketing.
Scotty Morrisson
Reo Māori News Presenter
Ngāti Whakaue
Te Ahorangi o tō mātou tīma, e mohiotia whānuitia ana a Scotty nā āna tūranga hei kaihautū i ngā hōtaka kawe pūrongo o Te Karere me Marae.
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He tohu paerua mātauranga tāna, ā, kei te whai hoki i tana tohu kairangi. Kua tū ia hei Tumu mō ngā Tauira Māori me te Whakapāpā Hapori ki Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau, ā, nō te tau 2017 kua kopou ia hei kaikauhau, hei kaitohutohu hoki ki Te Putahi ā-Toi ki te Kunenga o Pūrehuroa. – Professor Scotty Morrison (Ngati Whakaue) is the well-known presenter of current affairs programmes Te Karere and Marae. He holds a Master’s degree (Education), is working towards his PhD, and has been an Adjunct Professor and the Director of Māori Student and Community Engagement at Auckland’s Unitec Institute of Technology. In 2017, he was appointed to a new role at Massey University’s Te Putahi-a-Toi (School of Māori Art, Knowledge and Education), in a strategic, advocacy and lecturing capacity.
Reuben Epiha
Kaiwhakahaere Kāhui Pūrongo Māori | Senior Journalist
Ngapuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Ranginui
Tuputupu mai a Reuben i te pokapū me te uru o Tāmaki Makaurau, he tamaiti nō te aho matua, he raukura nō te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi.
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Ka puawai ia i te ao pāpāhō i ngā rekereke o Maungataniwha i te Taitokerau, ki te reo irirangi o Tautoko FM. He kaiako ia i te reo, he kaiwhakaairo i te kōrero, he kaiwhakaniko i te kupu. – Growing up in the west of Auckland, Reuben was raised on the principle teachings of Te Aho Matua and a graduate of te Kura Kaupapa Māori and Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi. He fine tuned his broadcasting skills at the foot of Maungataniwha in the north at Tautoko FM. He is a teacher of te reo, a weaver of words, and an artist of te reo Māori.
Dale Husband
Breakfast show presenter
Ngāti Maru
Journalist and broadcaster Dale Husband (Ngāti Maru) started his career on Aotearoa Radio and is now widely known as Radio Waatea’s breakfast show host, and writer and interviewer for the online magazine E-Tangata.
Pohaturoa Waenga
Māori News and current affairs, Reporter/Journalist
Te Whānau-a-apanui, Te Whānau-a-Pararaki
He iti tēnei nō Raukokore nō Te Whānau ā-Apanui, e ngākaunui ana ki ngā mahi whakawhānui i āna tirohanga ki te ao Māori.
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Kua 4 tau noaiho a Pohaturoa e mahi pāpāhō ana, heoi, nā ōnā mahi whakaako i te reo Māori i Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, kua kaha pakari āna pukenga mahitahi, whakawero hoki i te tāngata, ā, ki reira ia angitū ai i tō mātou tīma. He tauira a Pohaturoa o te wānanga Kōmiromiro, nā ngā rōpū, Aotearoa Media Collective, nā Public Interest Journalism, me Irirangi Te Motu. – Raised in Raukokore of Te Whānau ā-Apanui, she thrives on learning new things that broaden her knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori. Pōhaturoa has only been in broadcasting for 4 years, but as a teacher of te reo Māori, has a wealth of experience in engaging with and challenging people and these skills make her a great asset to the team. Pohaturoa is a graduate of the Kōmiromiro Programme under the Aotearoa Media Collective, the Public Interest Journalism Trust and NZ On Air.
Hineani Melbourne
Current Affairs Producer
Tūhoe, Te Mahurehure, Waikato, Ngāti Whāwhākia
Hineani Melbourne is a seasoned professional in Māori media, with a diverse background spanning print, radio, television, and film.
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She has contributed to various projects, including the award-winning special effects drama series Moko Toa (1999 and 2000), children’s programs, current affairs, and numerous documentaries. Her work has been showcased on New Zealand and British television, including the BBC, NHK Japan, TVNZ, TV2, TV3, and Māori Television.
Hineani is the author of Māori Sovereignty – the Māori Perspective (1999) and holds a Master’s degree in Applied Indigenous Knowledge (2020) from Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa. She has served as Chair and CEO of Ngā Aho Whakaari which represents Māori in the screen industry. Currently, HIneani is in her final year as a PhD candidate at Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa. She has represented Māori media on Te Mātāwai for three years, and is the Māori media representative with the Science Media Centre, and is a Tauira representative on Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi Academic Committe. Hineani is the senior news and current affairs producer (English) at Radio Waatea.
Claudette Hauiti
Parliament based political correspondent
Claudette Hauiti is from Ngāti Porou, Ngā Puhi, Te Ati Awa.
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She was raised in Tāmaki Makaurau where she was also educated. She taught for several years before completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Journalism at Canberra University, Australia. She is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Communications at AUT.
She is a multi-award winning television programme producer in both the documentary and lifestyles genre. Her documentaries ‘Gang Girls’, ‘The Banjo Killing’ and ‘Children of the Revolution’ won domestic and international awards.
A former Member of Parliament she now works for Radio Waatea as Senior Reporter at Parliament.
Atereano Mateariki
Journalist
Tūhoe, Te Mahurehure, Waikato, Ngāti Whāwhākia
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Raised in the swamps of Ngāti Hine, Atereano moved to Auckland originally in 2014, to study Māori media to contribute to an industry that heralds Māori stories and perspectives. Atereano was a Māori affairs reporter for 95bFM during his undergraduate studies from 2014-2016, where my passion for telling Māori news and current affairs.
The following quote summarises how Atereano feels about his job.
“As I look back on a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings” H. L. Mencken (1953).
Moeawa Tamanui-Fransen
Journalist
Ngā Āriki Kaipūtahi, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Manu and is of Dutch and Surinamese- Creole decent
Moeawa is part of our news team and youll often hear her presenting the news on air. Moeawa has also hosted the afternoon drive show!
Brandon Haru
Programmer and Scheduler
Brandon Haru is a multi-instrumentalist and award-winning producer from New Zealand. His talent is recognized by US production legend Timbaland and his content viewed by millions globally. Brandon’s unique sound reflects the essence of his cultural roots. Brandon looks after Waateas scheduling and also our transition to new products.
Te Rangitawaea Reedy
Panel Operator, News Technician
Ngāti Pōrou, Tūhoe
Te Rangitawaea Reedy is our morning show panel operator and Kapa Haka aficionado.
Rebel Reid
Content producer
Ngāpuhi
Te Raunatanga Whakaara
Kairiipoata Reo Māori | Kaikawe Puurongo Reo Maaori
Ngaa iwi o Taranaki, Ngaati Maniapoto, Te Arawa, Haamoa, Tonga
Nō Taranaki a Te Raunatanga. I tupu mai ia ki Parirua me Te Hāwera.
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I whakapōtaengia ki te wānanga kawe pūrongo o Te Ia Ka Oho 2023 nā Irirangi Te Motu me te puna pūtea Public Interest Journalism. Ko Te Raunatanga te pēpi o tō mātou ohu.
I tae mai ia ki a mātou hei whai wheako i a ia e ako tonu ana. Nā wai nā wai, ka hoki mai a Te Raunatanga ki a mātou hei kairīpoata. E rata nui ana ia ki ngā mātauranga akoranga o ngā ao iwi taketake ki ngā take hākinakina anō hoki.
A graduate of the 2023 Te Ia Ka Oho Kaupapa under NZ On Air and the Public Interest Journalism Fund, Te Raunatanga is the baby of our team. She comes from Taranaki and grew up in Parirua (Porirua) and Te Hāwera.
She came to us for work experience while still studying and returned to us as a reporter. She likes learning about the teachings of the indigenous world as well as the sporting world.
