Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: Ngā Whetū o Matariki
The stars have aligned with the rescheduled Ngā Whetū o Matariki Awards 2020 now taking place during Māori Language Week 2020.
The Awards, which were originally scheduled to take place in Auckland last month with a live audience of 500, was postponed with the Government’s announcement of COVID-19 alert level three.
Māori Television, Tāhūhū Rangapū, Shane Taurima says that while COVID-19 presented initial challenges for Ngā Whetū o Matariki it has provided an opportunity to rethink the way the network delivers the event.
“The team has innovated and worked tirelessly to ensure we can honour the finalists and recipients in a way that really brings to life the achievements of these individuals, organisations and communities. This is a new way of working and captures the spirit of Matariki”, says Taurima.
“With no option for a traditional awards ceremony we did what we do best and changed the way we deliver the awards to ensure our people would still be recogised in such a challenging year. Our production crews visited finalists in their homes and communities to capture their celebrations. These stories recognise the contribution these people have made to Māori achievement and Aoteaora and create a valuable broadcast archive for years to come”, he says.
In its fifth year, Ngā Whetū o Matariki, recognise outstanding Māori achievement and celebrate the best of us – ngā toa o ngā toa. This year includes an additional category that recognises outstanding contribution to community during COVID-19 lockdown.
A special two-hour broadcast with 27 finalists and 11 categories broadcasts on all Māori Television platforms at 7pm tonight, Saturday 19 September.
