Whakaata Māori is seeking comprehensive proposals to produce engaging content that caters to the diverse interests of Māori audiences. These proposals should highlight and showcase Māori culture and language through rich storytelling via various video formats, with the aim of fostering cultural pride and supporting language use and proficiency among viewers.
This round prioritises audience-led, entertainment-focused content that contributes to the normalisation of te reo Māori in everyday life.
Project Overview
Te Māngai Pāho expects to allocate up to $10 million (excl. GST) across two funding streams:
All projects must demonstrate production readiness, with clear evidence of capacity to deliver, and must be designed for Whakaata Māori platforms and audiences.
Whakaata Māori is seeking projects for:
They are seeking creative concepts tailored for three of their primary audience groups:
Te Hunga Rangatahi Reo Māori (Ages 15-24): Young Māori individuals seeking modern content that resonates with their identity and facilitates engagement with their cultural roots.
Whānau reo Māori (including Tamariki): households where te reo Māori is spoken fluently or confidently across generations as a living, everyday language.
Active reo Māori learners (whānau): Māori audiences on a confident reo learning journey who are motivated to increase everyday use of te reo Māori and are drawn to entertainment‑led content that supports progression without being instructional.
The goal is to deliver engaging and impactful content that effectively connects with these audiences through bespoke content distribution strategies.
These concepts should also align with several of the specified Apataki outcomes of Te Huapae O Te Rangi – Whakaata Māori Outcomes Framework – where engagement delivers impact.
Relevant Te Huapae Outcomes for this RFP
Rangatahi feel more confident to embrace their Māori identity through content.
Whānau are inspired to use more reo Māori in their everyday lives through content.
Increase connection to te ao Māori.
Māori feel a stronger connection to their Māori identity through content.
Non-Māori increase their understanding of Māori perspectives and tikanga.
The full RFP can be found here