Maori TV to Launch Kids’ Reality Show

Maori TV will bolster its kids TV line-up with next month’s premiere of the first children’s reality series in the Māori language.

Here’s the media release:

FIRST CHILDREN’S REALITY SERIES IN MĀORI – ON MĀORI TELEVISION! 

Māori Television launches New Zealand’s first ever children’s reality series in the Māori language at the beginning of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori next month (September).

Tamaiti Tū – premiering on Monday 13 September 2021 at 6.35 AM – is an action-packed show exploring work and play in the great outdoors through the eyes of four youngsters: Kiripounamu (6), Huarewa (5), Moeariki (4) and Hiramai (2).

The boisterous tamariki complete tasks set by Matua Ahu (Ahurei Winitana) and Matua Ue (Uenuku Winitana) and are rewarded with play time in and around Lake Taupō and the majestic mountains of Ngāti Tūwharetoa tribal territory.

Producer Ngahuia Wade from Rotomā-based Te Noni Limited says the beauty of Tamaiti Tū Is that it does not assume children’s television has to follow a predictable one-size-fits-all format.

“What makes this children’s series different from your regular kids show is that Tamaiti Tū Is shot in a reality or observational style – real mahi, real play, real fun and real tears.

“We wanted to capture the raw and true essence of work and play through the eyes of these boys. No scripts, no make-up and no over-aged presenters trying to act like kids, just plenty of old fashioned mahi and fun in the sun!”

Wade says the beautiful visuals elevate the production value of the show to a level not usually seen in locally-produced episodic children’s television.

While Tamaiti Tū is a love letter to her Ngāti Tūwharetoa homelands and to youngsters like her own six-year-old grandson, Wade says the series is also a celebration of Māori fatherhood.

Inspired by the whakatauki or proverb, ‘Tama tū, tama ora, tama noho, tama mate – he who stands, lives, he who sits, perishes’, Tamaiti Tū creates a Māori-speaking space for whānau, not just boys and fathers, Mums make an appearance too.

“The dads you’ll meet on this show are hardworking, macho blokes, but (like the Mums) they’re also tender and loving towards their sons, something we are proud to positively promote to children in Aotearoa and all over the world.”

Viewers are also treated to reo Māori that is fluent yet accessible, informal and relevant to everyday situations. It’s a vernacular that director and reo consultant Tina Wickliffe says was a joy to capture.

“Te reo can be over-thought and way too verbose. That’s what made working with a cast of native-speaking children so special.

“The language you hear spoken between the fathers and sons is straight up the guts – kōrero hāngai. That’s what makes this series so accessible to younger viewers and learners alike.”

Part of Māori Television’s Tamariki Hā line-up of children’s programming, Tamaiti Tū Screens every Monday at 6.35 AM from Monday 13 September 2021.