Our Māori language group – Te Karanga O Te Kowhai – represents our Māori community in Brisbane. You can listen to our shows on Mondays 6am – 8 am, Thursdays 2-4 pm, Saturday night 11 pm–1 am, and Sundays 7am-8am.
Our shows contain cultural material, as in news, current affairs, and a general look at what’s going on back in our home country of New Zealand, as well as community events and issues for our people living away from home here in Australia. Our people are naturally very spiritually connected to our home lands, and to our whanau (family) back home, so our shows are made to be uplifting and comforting for us and as a way to feel connected to what we will always call HOME.
Eight of our broadcasters from different backgrounds and tribal affiliations go to air on the FM channel at 4 EB every Sunday morning 7-8 am and Monday morning 6-8 am. Broadcasters independently research their topics, and bring their own unique stories, views, and perspectives of our culture, and how to connect to it.
Willy James is the convenor of Te Karanga o Te Kowhai. An entertainer his whole life he started in radio 4 years ago and it has now become his passion. He has a Monday Show ‘The Boil Up’’ and has two weekly shows on Global Digital, ‘He Waka Eke Noa’ on Thursday from 2-4 pm and Saturday Night Live 11 pm-1am.
Wynn Te Kani, Australian Ethnic Community Radio Volunteer Contributor of the Year for 2018, is celebrating 21 years of Radio Production at Radio 4 EB. Her show Te Karanga O Te Kowhai covers all aspects and topics about Te Ao Māori, and can be heard on the first Monday of each month.
Ruth Sidney, our treasurer for the last 3 years, is the originator and facilitator of our Māori Business Expo, and Pastor and founder of BHM. Her vision for our team is to make the radio a hub for everything Maori, to connect and unite our culture.
Margie Rose Williams is a vocalist, entertainer, business woman and investor. Her show Wahine Toa airs every 3rd Sunday of the month. She enjoys interviewing women who want to share positive and uplifting stories of how they have moved forward in life and who assist the community.
Awhina Hetet has been with the radio for 6 months and is enjoying it as a platform that encourages authentic conversation, sharing of stories, perspectives and ideas from a Māori world view. She values cultural enrichment, connection, and revitalisation, and this is reflected in the content of her show Awhi in Wonderland, which airs every 4th Sunday of the Month.
Makareta KL has aired live on the “extra” 5th Sunday of the month for over 2 years, presenting “Te Waka o Tautoru.” Offering everyday experiences and real stories from Maori in our neighbourhood, over lands and waters near and far. Meeting and greeting people dedicated to their family, work and service that changes compliments and makes a difference in the paradigm of everyday life and the bigger world, one story at a time.
Dawn Priestley, and her show Finding Freedom, goes to air every 3rd Monday of the month. Dawn is an entrepreneur, and her new business, Kura Kāinga Care, in partnership with Arihia Chen, is creating new opportunities for Maori, through Māori infused babysitting services, and education and youth programs for the Māori community.
We also have Jason Tawhiwhirangi who drops in once a month for The Footy Show on the first Sunday of every month .
Our shows are announced bilingually, in English and Māori, as not all our broadcasters speak our language, Te Reo Maori. Most Māori are on a journey of reconnection to our culture and our language, and as a people, we are in a period of revitalising our traditional practices and protocols. Many of us who were born here in Australia have no knowledge of our language at all, so by presenting bi-lingually, we cater to all our listeners. We use our air time to share messages of encouragement, for our people to embrace their culture, regardless of where they are on their journeys, to enhance their cultural identities, and who they are as Māori.
To ensure we do promote our language we infuse karakia (prayers) waiata (songs) and whakatauki (metaphors) in our programs. One such whakatauki that represents our group, and what we are all about is, “Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.” “Let us keep close together, not wide apart.” This speaks to the importance of keeping connected, maintaining relationships and dialogue, which is the underlying purpose of our group; to connect our people to each other, to our community, to our families, and to ourselves.
Upcoming Events:
We have some exciting events, interviews and shows coming up in the next month … Willy has a very prominent guest in Rena Owen coming onto his show . Rena is the star of the new movie Whina , a very famous woman in New Zealand history.
We are planning a Youth in the Radio Day whereby our Māori Language Group will be hosting a day for our Māori Youth /Rangatahi to experience the radio as a form of exploring their own cultural identity. This is one way we are providing for our community.
As a collective we will be continuously connecting with our community and with other ethnic groups , covering and creating events , and this includes social networking events .
Te Karanga O Te Kowhai ,,
Your Maori Language Group @ 4eb.98.1fm
Sharing OUR world with you …
