Ngāti Hine FM in collaboration with Tautoko FM and Te Hiku Media are excited and extremely proud to launch its new regional news service, te kūkupa, in Te Tai Tokerau today.

te kūkupa is a comprehensive news service promoting te reo o Te Tai Tokerau and delivered across the three Northland Māori radio and online streaming networks, including iwi media partner social media platforms.

Ngāti Hine FM station manager, Erana Fenton (Ngāti Whatua, Ngapuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri) anticipates that the partnership will deliver the most robust news service ever seen in the region.

Erana says there has long been a need for a strong and balanced Māori perspective in media throughout Aotearoa, but too often that has been lacking or ignored.

The media collaboration is called 'te kūkupa' a name gifted to the project by Tautoko FM's Cyril Chapman. The kūkupa is a taonga renowned as a messenger and is also known as the kererū, kuku or wood pigeon.

“Like the kūkupa and the noisy beat of its wings, our collaboration aims to deliver a distinctive sound by uniting the strengths, voices and unique perspectives of Ngāti Hine FM, Tautoko FM and Te Hiku Media to create a news service that resonates with the heartbeat of our Te Tai Tokerau communities – from the Brynderwyns and pockets of Kaipara right through to Hokianga and Muriwhenua,” says Erana.

“The physical and community footprint we cover is huge, so I am confident we will grow an even more loyal following and have a significant impact in telling the stories of our people.

“Our aim is to search every corner of Te Tai Tokerau for stories that matter and believe te kūkupa will become a symbol of excellence in regional news coverage, embodying the shared vision and commitment of Ngāti Hine FM, Tautoko FM and Te Hiku Media.”

Erana believes the collaboration will redefine the landscape of media in Te Tai Tokerau.

"We know news is about storytelling. That means telling the stories of our whānau, hapū and hāpori within the maara of Te Tai Tokerau and providing a platform for those voices that hve largely gone unheard and this is essential to building strong, informed, and even more connected hāpori."

Erana says the regional news team, led by Editor, Gideon Porter (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) are committed to high-quality, authentic, impartial, unpretentious journalism and responsible reporting but with a Te Tai Tokerau twist.

"Te kūkupa is a mokopuna platform, influenced by the enduring legacies of Māori news trailblazers such as Te Kārere, Mana Māori Media, Ruia Mai and Waatea.

“Our view is that te kūkupa is here to foster and promote news that is positive for ngā tangata whenua o Te Tai Tokerau.

“We have well-established relationships within our various hāpori – whānau, marae, kura, pākihi and rūnanga included. To enhance those connections, we have chosen distribution platforms that our audiences engage on, and our aim is to be a source of information and a catalyst for positive change.

“By informing our people about important issues, we hope to ignite conversations and debates leading to meaningful action while shaping the way the wider hāpori digest news content and stay connected, engaged and informed about te ao Māori,” says Erana.

“We will be providing regular updates to our audiences as we launch new content and are also on the lookout for local talent to be part of our regional media internships. And we are thankful for the collaboration of E-Tangata and NZME via The Northern Advocate and Huaki.”

Combined, those entities have a reach of over 150,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook, with strong broadcast footprints covering Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau, which will strengthen the impact of the new Te Tai Tokerau regional news service.

te kūkupa is a regional news service funded by Te Māngai Pāho.

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