Radio broadcasts began in New Zealand in 1921 but it appears the first extensive use of te reo Māori on air didn’t really eventuate until 1927. In that year songs and items by the Petone Māori Variety Entertainers and performances from the Ōtaki Māori College aired on Wellington stations.
The following year on Waitangi Day 1928, an elaborate pageant of Māori history, song and story was broadcast on all four national stations and was repeated for an international audience via shortwave radio. It was considered New Zealand’s most widely broadcast programme of its time.
Manawatū-Whanganui | Whanganui | 1920-29 | Government
Comments