Te Hiku Media

What Te Hiku Media does

Te Hiku Media (legal name Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika) is a non-profit Māori community media organization founded in 1991 by Ngāti Hine and headquartered at 1 Melba Street, Kaitaia in New Zealand's Far North (Te Tai Tokerau). The organization operates a multi-platform media network spanning three FM radio frequencies (Te Hiku Radio 97.1FM, Tai FM 106.7FM, Sunshine FM 104.3FM), Te Hiku TV for video and live event broadcasting (including kapa haka competitions and Waitangi commemorations), the tehiku.nz digital platform, and mobile applications. Its core purpose is the preservation and revitalization of te reo Māori through regional news, cultural programming, and language learning resources serving iwi, hapū, and whānau of Te Tai Tokerau including Ngāti Hine, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kuri, and Te Aupōuri. The organization runs annual events such as Ngā Manu Kōrero (secondary school speech competition) and Maranga Mai E Te Iwi (regional kapa haka), and collaborates with partner stations Tautoko FM and Ngāti Hine FM under the Te Reo o te Tai Tokerau programming initiative.

The organization has developed a distinct technology arm, Te Hiku Tech, that builds AI-powered language revitalization tools including the Papa Reo platform with a publicly documented API for speech recognition and natural language processing in te reo Māori, the Whare Kōrero learning application, and the Rongo app. A central strategic asset is the Kaitiakitanga License, an Indigenous data sovereignty licensing framework that governs how Māori language data may be used, particularly in AI training contexts where Te Hiku Media has publicly critiqued approaches taken by global model providers such as OpenAI. The Papa Reo API targets developers and partners for integration, creating a software distribution channel alongside the community broadcaster business.

The business model combines community broadcasting operations with government and cultural funding, anchored by NZ On Air support, and collaborative production partnerships (e.g., Cinco Cine for the 2023 Waitangi Day broadcast). The organization does not publicly disclose pricing or detailed financials, operating as a non-profit focused on community outcomes rather than commercial revenue. Its 11-50 staff support both traditional broadcasting and increasingly the Te Hiku Tech division, with the AI and data sovereignty positioning representing a forward-looking capability dimension that extends the organization's mandate beyond regional media into language technology and indigenous data rights advocacy.

Name

Te Hiku Media

Legal name

Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika

Website

https://tehiku.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Te Hiku Media is a Māori community broadcaster and language technology non-profit founded in 1991, operating radio, TV, and digital platforms in Te Tai Tokerau (Far North, New Zealand) to deliver te reo Māori programming and develop AI-powered language revitalization tools including the Papa Reo API.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Radio Network Distribution & Programming Services (Syndicators, Format Providers) (MPAIAEAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous community broadcasting
• Māori language technology
• Indigenous data sovereignty
• Language revitalization apps
• Community radio stations

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaitaia

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting and Content Production: Te Hiku Media operates as a community broadcaster producing regional news, cultural programming, and language revitalization content for Māori communities in Te Tai Tokerau. Revenue supports ongoing media operations, content creation, and technology development for te reo Māori preservation.
2. Government and Cultural Funding: The organization receives sponsorship and funding support from entities such as NZ On Air for content production and community media initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Te Hiku Media is a Māori community media organization that broadcasts regional news, cultural programming, and te reo Māori language content across multiple FM radio frequencies (Te Hiku Radio, Tai FM, Sunshine FM), a regional television channel (Te Hiku TV), and a digital platform (tehiku.nz). It also develops Māori language technology tools including the Papa Reo AI platform with a public API, the Whare Kōrero and Rongo mobile applications, and the Kaitiakitanga License for indigenous data sovereignty.

Product overview

Te Hiku Media is a Māori media organization operating as a platform-plus-products architecture. Its core products include Te Hiku Radio (Māori language radio station) and Te Hiku TV (television broadcasting service), supplemented by sub-branded radio stations Tai FM (106.7FM) and Sunshine FM (104.3FM). The Te Reo content division provides Māori language resources including Kīwaha, Waiata, Te Reo o te Kāinga, and Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. The Te Hiku Tech division develops technology products including Papa Reo (Māori language AI API), Whare Kōrero app, and Rongo app for language revitalization. Cultural content series include Kuaka Wharau (elder interviews) and Tautīnei (multimedia journalism). Annual events include Ngā Manu Kōrero (speech competition) and Maranga Mai E Te Iwi (Kapa Haka regionals).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Te Hiku Radio Māori language radio station broadcasting on 97.1FM in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), New Zealand, featuring talk shows, news programs, and cultural content including Kuaka Mārangaranga, Te Reo o te Rangatira, and Te Kūkupa.
• Te Hiku TV Television broadcasting service covering regional news (Haukāinga), Kapa Haka competitions, festivals, and Māori cultural content for the Te Tai Tokerau region.
• Tai FM 106.7FM Radio station broadcasting on 106.7FM as part of the Te Hiku Media network, featuring music programming and local Northland content.
• Sunshine FM 104.3FM Radio station broadcasting on 104.3FM, featuring music and entertainment content including programs like Toast and Jams with Erin and concert coverage.
• Papa Reo Māori language AI platform providing speech recognition and language learning tools, with a publicly available API for developers to integrate te reo Māori resources into their applications.
• Whare Kōrero Mobile application for te reo Māori language learning and practice, developed by Te Hiku Media as part of its AI-powered language revitalization tools.
• Rongo Māori language application developed by Te Hiku Media for language learning and revitalization purposes.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cinco CinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2023Collaborative production partnership for Waitangi Day live broadcast coverage. Cinco Cine worked with Te Hiku Media to produce the 2023 Waitangi Day broadcast featuring cultural programming, interviews with political leaders, and community content.
• Tautoko FMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMāori radio station collaborating with Te Hiku Media on the Te Reo o te Tai Tokerau programming initiative, contributing to regional Māori media coverage.
• Ngāti Hine FMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMāori community radio station partnering with Te Hiku Media on the Te Reo o te Tai Tokerau programming, extending reach of te reo Māori content.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Te Mātāwai: Statutory body for te reo Māori revitalization under the Māori Language Act. Related rather than competing — Te Mātāwai is a potential funding/policy partner that shapes the broader te reo Māori ecosystem in which Te Hiku Media operates.

Direct peers

• CBC Indigenous: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Indigenous content division serving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. Comparable as a major public broadcaster with a dedicated Indigenous services arm covering language, culture, and regional news.
• Pacific Media Network: A New Zealand-based Pacific and ethnic community broadcasting network. Comparable as a Pacific-region community broadcaster serving indigenous and minority language audiences with radio and digital distribution.
• NITV (SBS): Australia's National Indigenous Television service operated as part of SBS. The closest international analogue as an Indigenous-language and Indigenous-focused broadcaster with similar community broadcasting mandate and language preservation mission.
• Hawai'i Public Radio: Public radio network serving Hawai'i with programming that includes Hawaiian language content. Comparable as a regional public broadcaster integrating indigenous language programming alongside mainstream content, with similar community-focused ethos.
• Whakaata Māori (Māori Television): New Zealand's dedicated Māori-language television broadcaster. The closest direct peer to Te Hiku Media's Te Hiku TV operations, both serving Māori audiences with cultural and language programming under iwi-aligned governance models.
• BBC Alba: BBC's Scottish Gaelic-language television partnership. Highly comparable as a publicly funded indigenous/minority language broadcaster delivering radio, TV, and digital content in a revitalized indigenous language.

Broad incumbents

• Radio New Zealand (RNZ): New Zealand's public service radio broadcaster offering national and regional coverage. Comparable as a public-interest broadcaster in the same regulatory and funding ecosystem, though broader in scope and not Māori-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/te-hiku-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Te Hiku Media