NZ On Air recently partnered with Te Māngai Pāho to commission a study into the media behaviour, attitudes and content needs of Māori audiences. The research is to inform the two funding agencies' strategies and decisions around creating content that appeals to and engages Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The study was modelled on similar research undertaken in 2022 into Youth audiences, the research consisted of both qualitative and quantitative studies.
Some of the key findings of the research were:
- Māori enjoy local content, finding it relatable, and are attracted by humour, authentic characters, familiar faces and places, Māori culture, history, and Kiwi music
- But more spend time on global platforms than local so discovering this content is less likely
- Rangatahi Māori (15-24) are big on video games and social media
- Word of mouth and social media are the ways Māori discover content
- Most Māori, even fluent speakers of te reo, prefer media content with simple conversations in te reo Māori rather than full te reo Māori
- Whakaata Māori is recognised as the home for content for and about Māori although 25% (primarily those with low te reo Māori fluency) don’t think of going there.
Their next general audience research, Where Are The Audiences? 2024 will be released in late August.