This year’s Iwi Radio Awards, Ngā Tohu Reo Irirangi Māori, provided an opportunity for the staff and board members from iwi radio stations to get together to share ideas and hear what was happening in other stations.
The awards, held in Rotorua on 12 April, reinforced the important role iwi radio stations have in their communities. The annual awards affirm the way iwi radio share stories and ideas, and get their communities involved in a way no other media does.
E Tū Whānau has been working with Iwi Radio for some time now to share the E Tū Whānau messages. Iwi radio has become one of the main ways for E Tū Whānau to get its messages out to communities, and in recognition of this work, E Tū Whānau sponsored a competition for the ad that best captured one of the E Tū Whānau values.The far north iwi radio station, Te Hiku o te Ika, won the award.
E Tū Whanau’s Ann Dysart noted the high standard of the ads entered by a number of iwi radio stations.
“The different ways they picked up on the E Tū Whānau kaupapa produced really interesting ads. They were smart, funny and creative, and there was something in them for everyone. The E Tū Whānau values and kaupapa were well reflected in their content. The judging panel had a hard job choosing the best of the bunch, but in the end Te Hiku o te Ika came out the winner.”
Peter Lucas Jones from Te Hiku o te Ika said in his acceptance speech that the station had picked up on the E Tū Whānau kaupapa and wove it through several of their programmes. The judges felt this was reflected in the quality of the ad.