29 Māehe | March 2026 – The national Māori radio network is contemplating litigation if the Crown follows through on drastic cost cuts to iwi stations.
In an unprecedented move, Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori o Aotearoa has presented an ultimatum to the Government – engage and negotiate a resolution to avoid legal action.
Chair Peter-Lucas Jones (Ngāti Kahu, Te Rārawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Aupōuri) – who is also chief executive of far North iwi broadcaster Te Hiku Media – says Māori radio is a right under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, not a government handout.
Peter-Lucas Jones says recent and proposed actions targeting iwi stations, implemented primarily through Te Māngai Pāho (TMP), disregards the treaty and exposes the Crown to credible legal risk.
Any cutbacks will only lead to the demise of Māori radio.
“This issue is not about resisting change,” he explains. “Iwi radio stations have themselves funded transitions to digital platforms and new media without Crown support.
“The issue is whether the Crown can, through an intermediary, dismantle a treaty remedy without Māori consent.”
He whakapapa
Through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Ngā Tamatoa, Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo Māori and the New Zealand Māori Council among others took a range of cases concerning Māori language and broadcasting to the Waitangi Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council.
The turning point came in 1987 when te reo Māori was recognised as an official language by the Māori Language Act, opening the door for dedicated iwi radio pūtea.
New Zealand On Air funded the first wave of Māori radio stations until TMP was established under the Broadcasting Amendment Act 1993, giving life to the Waitangi Tribunal assertion that te reo Māori is a taonga requiring active protection by the Crown under the treaty.
Since then, TMP has included funding for iwi radio as well as news and current affairs in its strategies to revitalise and grow te reo Māori.
Ngā take
The iwi radio network has been grappling with a wide range of issues:
Rapidly changing audience expectation and emerging technologies:
Ability and agility of the Māori media sector to adapt to changing audience demands and technology – relating to inflexible legislation, funding, workforce development and impetus for change.
Numerous siloed media outlets:
Each doing their own thing for its own primarily Māori audience share – impacts on audience reach, quality and range of content. Money invested across the sector is not being maximised.
Low budget programming and low audience share:
Media outlets are spread too thinly across dispersed audiences. Inequitable funding of Māori media vis-a-vis public media.
Iwi reo differentiation and low audience share:
Recognising iwi dialectical differences and desire for iwi to be able to engage with their own members, in the face of the cost of delivering relevant programming to a small audience share.
Preservation and access:
Fragmented holdings; lack of funding for active preservation/holding; and different holding, access and use arrangements.
Workforce development:
Inadequate investment in workforce development affecting the ability to grow and retain a skilled workforce.
Media lifelines:
Support for iwi media in communicating with Māori and other communities during times of emergency.
Limited commercial advertising markets:
Collective advertising through a Māori-owned agency is barely viable. Advertising inconsistent with kaupapa Māori values such as fast food is rejected.
More recently, iwi radio stations have become aware of the following Crown actions and intentions:
Baseline funding reductions:
Stations have been advised of potential cuts of 25 to 30 per cent to baseline funding for 2026/27. They say any reduction threatens the survivability of iwi radio stations.
Reduction of contestable programming funding:
A separate contestable programming fund — relied upon disproportionately by high-performing stations — is also under threat. According to iwi radio owners, this wil penalise excellence and accelerate collapse among the strongest broadcasters.
Regional news hubs:
Regional news hubs were initiated by Te Māngai Pāho but there was no formal consultation with iwi radio owners. Māori radio was invited to apply for hub funding but were not co-designers of the model. Key features of the model include editorial control resting with the hub, not iwi radio; stations expected to support hub operations; and geographic grouping that does not reflect iwi philosophy, tikanga or operating models.
Hui ā rāngai pāpāho
TMP has been consulting with Māori media including the network’s 20 stations over how it will collectively manage the loss of $16 million in time limited funding from 1 July.
While 2026/27 appropriations will not be confirmed until the Budget announcement in late May, TMP released a discussion document earlier this year outlining five scenarios and potential impacts in anticipation of losing 25 per cent of its total budget.
In its stakeholder pānui last week, TMP Kaihautū Larry Parr thanked everyone who had made submissions to date.
“At this stage, while we are still gathering sector feedback, we anticipate a transition year that maintains the status quo as much as possible while allowing us to prepare and undertake the work necessary.
“The strongest outcomes of our strategy will be what we can collectively achieve for te reo Māori.”
Board members and kaimahi at TMP will share their updated strategic approach during an in person and online consultation wānanga in Tāmaki Makaurau on 21 April.
After Budget 2026, future funding priorities will be approved by the Board and a Statement of Performance Expectations published.
Ngā mahi e whai ake nei
In a briefing paper tabled with the Prime Minister and key Cabinet ministers, Te Whareruruhau is lobbying for:
Direct Crown engagement with iwi owners, independent of TMP
Negotiations to confirm sufficient baseline funding per station
An increase of at least $82,000 per station to allow for inflation since there has been no adjustment since 2022
A working group set up to determine how to fund the transition to digital platforms to ensure the Government meets its treaty obligation – up until now, iwi radio have been funding their own transition to digital and new media without Crown support
An opportunity to work with the Government to ensure important messages – from immunisation to road safety – reach their audiences.
Iwi radio owners have requested face-to-face hui with TMP to enable a ‘co-designed solution’.
Peter-Lucas Jones says a resourced, co-designed work programme needs to scope out the iwi radio treaty remedy and how it should be reconfigured, with the agreement and active participation of Māori radio.
“We have lodged a request for this work as it is necessary given the current uncertainty within TMP regarding iwi radio treaty rights and the obligations to actively uphold them.
“It also means Te Whakaruruhau is able to equitably participate.”
An inaugural Board member of TMP who played a key role in the establishment of iwi radio, lawyer Annette Sykes, along with Matthew Smith KC, have been retained by Te Whakaruruhau as its senior legal advisors.
He kōrero o te Karauna
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka provided a written response to Te Whakaruruhau’s briefing paper on behalf of the Government in February.
Potaka acknowledged the key role that iwi radio continues to play in reflecting local mita (dialects), stories and cultural identity as well as a trusted form of communication for local communities.
He also recognised that the Crown has a duty under the treaty to actively protect te reo Māori as a taonga.
While unable to discuss Budget 2026, his expectation was that entities manage operations within baselines and seek opportunities for greater value-for-money.
“Te Māngai Pāho is an autonomous Crown entity and make their own decisions about how they use funding provided by the Crown. Those decisions must clearly achieve their statutory purpose to promote Māori language and culture.
“The Crown does not have an obligation to consult Māori separately on Te Māngai Pāho’s proposals and cannot direct Te Māngai Pāho on whom to consult with or how to consult, as this is an operational decision for Te Māngai Pāho.
“The Crown’s role is to set the level of funding for Māori media entities like Te Māngai Pāho.”
Peter-Lucas Jones says iwi stations unanimously agreed at a special general meeting that they would not accept any decrease in funding and would consider legal action in response to any cutbacks.
The New Zealand Māori Council, Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau o te Reo Māori and the Iwi Chairs Forum have also pledged their unanimous support.
“Decisions taken by TMP that materially affect iwi radio funding, structure or autonomy remain Crown actions for treaty purposes.
“The Crown cannot discharge its Treaty obligations by delegation and then rely on that delegation to insulate itself from responsibility.”
RUKU is a new current affairs series in production by Te Noni Ltd with funding from Te Māngai Pāho.
