Whakaata Māori

What Whakaata Māori does

Whakaata Māori (legal name: Māori Television Service) is Aotearoa New Zealand's national indigenous broadcaster, established in 2004 as a Crown entity headquartered in East Tāmaki, Auckland. The organisation produces and distributes Māori-language and bilingual content across three core platforms: the Whakaata Māori free-to-air bilingual channel (Freeview Channel 5, Sky Channel 19), the Te Reo Māori channel (a 100% te reo Māori offering, transitioning online-only from March 2025), and the MĀORI+ streaming platform available on web browsers, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, and Google TV with casting support. Approximately 80% of programming is produced in te reo Māori or bilingual, covering news (Te Ao Māori News), documentaries, entertainment series, sports (Waka Ama, NRL), and cultural events (Kapa Haka, Ngā Manu Kōrero, tangihanga). The technology stack is built on Brightcove for video streaming, AWS cloud infrastructure, and Firebase for mobile app analytics.

Name

Whakaata Māori

Legal name

Māori Television Service

Website

https://whakaatamaori.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Whakaata Māori is Aotearoa New Zealand's national indigenous Crown broadcaster providing free-to-air TV and streaming content in te reo Māori and English, serving Māori communities and broader New Zealand audiences with news, cultural, sports, and entertainment programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Language Learning & Literacy Channels (MPABAKAG)

Keywords

• Free-to-air broadcasting
• Indigenous media services
• Video streaming platform
• Māori language content
• Cultural broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Whakaata Māori receives operational funding from the New Zealand Government, with specific content productions funded by Te Māngai Pāho and NZ On Air. This funding supports the organization's mission to promote te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and Māori storytelling.
2. Advertising and Sponsorship: The organization generates revenue through advertising sales, with approximately 4 minutes of advertising per hour. The audience reach metrics (1.1 million monthly television viewers, 369,500 monthly digital users) support advertising value propositions to marketers seeking access to Māori and New Zealand audiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Whakaata Māori is Aotearoa New Zealand's national indigenous broadcaster providing free-to-air television broadcasting on the Whakaata Māori Channel and Te Reo Māori Channel, alongside on-demand digital content via the MĀORI+ streaming platform accessible across web, mobile, smart TV, and casting devices. The organisation produces and distributes Māori language and cultural programming including news, documentaries, entertainment series, sports coverage, and live cultural event broadcasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MĀORI+: Digital streaming platform offering shows, movies, documentaries and live events on demand across multiple devices.
• Te Reo Māori Channel
• Te Ao with Moana

Products and services

• Whakaata Māori Channel A free-to-air bilingual (te reo Māori/English) television channel available on Freeview Channel 5 and Sky Channel 19, offering documentaries, news, entertainment, and cultural programming for New Zealand audiences.
• Te Reo Māori Channel A 100% te reo Māori language television channel offering the only fluent te reo Māori programming in Aotearoa, available on MĀORI+ and Freeview Streaming TV App.
• MĀORI+ Streaming Platform A comprehensive free streaming service offering live TV and on-demand Māori content (shows, movies, documentaries, live events) across web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, smart TVs (Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV), and with Chromecast and Apple AirPlay support.
• Te Ao Māori News A dedicated Māori news and current affairs service providing daily news coverage from a Māori perspective across web and mobile platforms, including the Te Ao with Moana programme which co-won the 2024 Te Tohu Kairangi Award.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.53 million annual television audience reach across Aotearoa New Zealand
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sky SportcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership with Sky Sport to broadcast NRL Harvey Norman All Stars Games live and free-to-air. This partnership extends Whakaata Māori's sports broadcasting coverage and provides free access to major rugby league events for New Zealand audiences.
• Te Noni LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLake Rotomā-based film and television production company producing documentary content for Whakaata Māori. Produced PUKUNATI: LOSE WEIGHT OR DIE documentary series addressing indigenous health inequity themes.
• Black Iris ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company producing ONCE WERE GARDENERS series for Whakaata Māori, showcasing traditional Māori gardening practices and modern māra (garden) cultivation.
• Velvet Stone MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company producing KAIRĀKAU 4 historical drama series for Whakaata Māori, telling authentic Māori stories from 16th century Tairāwhiti.
• Te Reo TātakicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Te Reo Tātaki for broadcasting Matatini Kapa Haka competitions, working together to deliver competition coverage to audiences.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SBS Australia: SBS is Australia's multicultural and multilingual public broadcaster, operating free-to-air TV channels, radio networks, and the SBS On Demand streaming service. Highly comparable to Whakaata Māori as a publicly funded broadcaster serving multicultural and indigenous audiences with bilingual content distribution.
• TVNZ (Television New Zealand): TVNZ is New Zealand's primary public broadcaster operating TVNZ 1, 2, and TVNZ+. Comparable to Whakaata Māori as a New Zealand-based free-to-air public broadcaster with streaming extensions (TVNZ+), though focused on mainstream rather than indigenous content.
• ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): ABC is Australia's national public broadcaster operating multiple TV channels, radio networks, and the ABC iview streaming service. Comparable to Whakaata Māori as a publicly funded national broadcaster with cultural mandate and multi-platform distribution, though broader in scope.

Others

• NZ On Air: NZ On Air is a New Zealand government funding body that provides content production funding to Whakaata Māori and other broadcasters. Included as an ecosystem peer given its role as a financial partner in the Māori content production pipeline.
• Te Reo (former Māori language channel initiatives): Whakaata Māori's own Te Reo Māori channel is the only fluent te reo Māori TV channel in Aotearoa, included here as the closest in-language reference point. Previously operated as a separate broadcast channel now transitioning to online-only as part of the broader organization.
• Te Māngai Pāho: Te Māngai Pāho is the Māori Broadcasting Agency that funds Whakaata Māori and other Māori media initiatives. Listed as a peer given its direct funding relationship and shared mandate for te reo Māori revitalization, though it is a funding entity rather than a broadcaster.

Direct peers

• Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN): APTN is Canada's national Indigenous television network broadcasting in English, French, and Indigenous languages. Highly comparable to Whakaata Māori as a publicly funded Indigenous broadcaster with cultural revitalization and multi-platform distribution including streaming.
• NITV (National Indigenous Television): NITV is Australia's national Indigenous television channel, now part of SBS. It is the closest direct peer to Whakaata Māori as a free-to-air Indigenous language and culture broadcaster serving a national audience with cultural revitalization as a core mission.
• BBC Alba: BBC Alba is the Scottish Gaelic-language television channel jointly operated by the BBC and MG Alba. A direct peer to Whakaata Māori as a publicly funded minority-language broadcast channel with cultural revitalization as a primary mission.

Regional players

• Sky New Zealand: Sky NZ is a major New Zealand pay-TV and streaming operator. Comparable as a New Zealand broadcaster that distributes Whakaata Māori's Te Reo Māori channel (Sky Channel 19) and partners on sports content (NRL Harvey Norman All Stars), serving overlapping audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WhakaataMaori
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maoriplus
• Facebookfacebook.com/whakaatamaori
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whakaata-maori
• Instagraminstagram.com/maoriplus
• TikToktiktok.com/@maoriplus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whakaata Māori