21 February 2005
'Brown St’ Launch highlights Mother Language Day
A funky new ‘radio-sode’ targeting youth will air every day in a bid to encourage a new generation to speak Maori.
‘Brown Street’ is a series of 30-second bilingual radio-sodes, or short episodes, produced for the ‘Korero Maori’ campaign by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori – the Maori Language Commission – in association with top-rating broadcaster Mai FM.
The radio-sodes are being played on Mai FM’s three stations in Auckland, Rotorua and Northland and will be made available free of charge to the iwi radio network.
Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia – who launched ‘Brown Street’ on International Mother Language Day – says the radio show targets rangatahi because youth are the future of the Maori language.
“Reo Maori needs rangatahi to survive,” says Mr Horomia. “The launch of ‘Brown Street’ is the first of many that Te Taura Whiri will be involved in as part of a wider Maori language information programme aimed at increasing both the use of Maori language and awareness of its importance to Maori and all New Zealanders.”
The chief executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, Haami Piripi, says the show has been designed to capture the attention of New Zealanders in a way that is easily understood, non-threatening and funny.
“We think ‘Brown Street’ will provide a cultural window that will inform and encourage the next generation to korero Maori and give them an understanding of Maori language and concepts they can apply in their everyday lives.”
In each episode, four central characters – a kuia, two rangatahi grandchildren and an uncle – teach a new word and provide context for its use.
Each 30-second episode is played six times per day to ensure the audience gets to hear each episode at least once. At the end of each week, the full episodes will air on both Saturday and Sunday.
As well as being broadcast on the Mai FM network and available free to Maori radio stations, the radio-sodes will be uploaded to the interactive Maori language portal being developed as part of the ‘Korero Maori’ campaign.
Te Kaiwhitiwhiti Korero
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori
media@tetaurawhiri.govt.nz
Tel: 04 4716 724