The mauri of Māori media: Whakawātea - a decolonising practice

Abstract

TE AKA MATUA O TE RANGAHAU - RESEARCH QUESTION What is the relevance of mauri - the life force of Māori language - to Māori media, and how is it applicable to Māori media?

TE TAIKĀKĀ - ABSTRACT This applied masters’ thesis concerns Māori media and its future development. After a decade of working at Māori Television in various senior roles of programming and production, this is a scholarly opportunity for me to engage in a research study of Māori media practice. This study will explore the concept of mauri in relation to Māori language media and its holistic importance in sustaining Māori culture, identity, language and people. Everything created has mauri and I argue that mauri is critical to the sustainability and development of te reo Māori in Māori media. Using a Kaupapa Māori approach, this study reviews relevant Māori scholarship, and importantly, includes the voices of several Māori media practitioners, alongside a critique of my own professional and lived experiences. An analysis of these sources presents a way of thinking about Māori media and how to enhance te mauri o te reo (the life force of the Māori language). In doing so, it highlights the importance of the practice of whakawātea to assist in the protection and sustenance of te mauri o te reo in Māori media as a decolonising agenda. Framed by Kaupapa Māori theory, this thesis foregrounds pūrākau as a research methodology, which is appropriate for the storytelling nature of Māori media.