Whakaata Māori
New Zealand television channel
Whakaata Māori is a New Zealand television channel that broadcasts programmes that make a significant contribution to the revitalisation of the Māori language and culture. Funded by the New Zealand Government, it commenced broadcasting as Māori Television on 28 March 2004 from its studios in Newmarket, Auckland. It has since moved to East Tamaki, Auckland. In 2021, the channel launched a news service called Te Ao Māori News and a streaming app called MĀORI+. It officially changed its name to Whakaata Māori in June 2022.
Name
The name Whakaata Māori has been official since 2022, but has been used as a de facto Māori name for the channel since its inception. Until June 2022, Māori Television was the official name of the channel.
The word "Whakaata" means "to mirror", "to reflect" and "to display". "Whakaata" is also used as part of the compound "pouaka whakaata", which literally means "display box", in turn, "television".
History
Early developments and prelaunch
In the early days of television in New Zealand, Māori-language programming was scarce.
The public source identifies “Whakaata Māori” as new Zealand television channel. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Whakaata, Māori and Zealand.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Whakaata Māori”, the useful work is to connect “new Zealand television channel” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1022343. VIAF identifies the subject as 154007322. The Library of Congress control number is no2023087418. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2004, 2021 and 2022.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Whakaata Māori”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Whakaata Māori primary sources, Whakaata Māori archive and Whakaata research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Whakaata Māori”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Whakaata Māori” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.