Pukana takes the elections to youth

MEDIA RELEASE 12 September 2014

PukanaYouth Election Special Next Week

Award-winning children’s television show Pukana is involving young people in the election, devoting three episodes next week to covering politics in its trademark entertaining, yet educational, way.

The episodes, to be broadcast on Maori Television on Monday Sept 15, Tuesday Sept 16 and Wednesday Sept 17, will involve three students aged 12 and 13 interacting with MPs Te Uruoa Flavell (Waiariki), Nanaia Mahuta (Hauraki-Waikato) and candidate Te Hamua Nikora (Te Ikaroa Rawhiti). This represents a return to his early career for Te Hamua, who was one of the original Pukana presenters.

(The episodes will also be broadcast, subtitled in English, on FOUR)

The students are:

Kruze Rehu (12) from Te Kura Kaupapa Muori o Mungere (into all sports)

Tereana Ihakara (13) from Te Kura Kaupapa Muori o Hoani Waititi Marae (Auckland netball rep, waka ama, kapa haka)

Kahlee Henare-Samuels (13) from Te Kura Kaupapa Muori o Mungere (kapa haka)

For the serious aspect of the shows, each student will present a speech with the kaupapa “If I were Prime Minister for the Day”. The politicians will offer feedback and select a winner. The prize is an iPad mini.

Issues to be tackled include: compulsory re reo in schools, how to get rid of gangs, education and poverty.

Pukana producer Mutai Smith says it was inspiring to see the students take up and the challenge and present their thoughts so confidently,

“They had a small amount of time to prepare their speeches and try to condense their thoughts into two minutes and seeing them come down the stairs and stand in front of two actual Muori MPs and another candidate was pretty nerve wracking! But they delivered and we were elated with how they performed given it was kind of like ‘Dragon’s Den’ to be honest.”

On the light-hearted side, the show will feature a send-up of Maori Television’s political discussion show, TE TuPU (the table), called TE TuRU (the chair). In a real-life twist, this will feature Pukana’s Herea Winitana playing his father Chris Winitana, who is the moderator of Te Tupu.

And, on Wednesdays show, Pukana’s rising star reporter Kiliona Tumati Paratene
has a one-on-one sit down interview with the politicians and rather than talk ‘dirty politics’ he’s more interested in showing the funny side of each of the politicians who were good sports and joined in the fun.

ends

© Scoop Media