Herald’s Ka¯hu journalism takes flight

Most Kiwis will know the Ma¯ori myth of how Ma¯ui, a demigod, fished up the North Island. Ma¯ui is also credited with bringing fire to the world after tricking the goddess of fire, Mahuika, into giving him her fingernails of fire.

Furious at his trickery, she threw a burning toenail on the ground to set the mountain on fire as Ma¯ui fled. He changed into a hawk (ka¯hu) and escaped the flames, but his wings’ underside were singed a glowing red.

Ka¯hu, our majestic native bird of prey, is embodied in lore as a messenger to the gods — smart, cheeky and discerning. So it seemed the perfect mascot to represent NZME’s section, introduced eight months ago, devoted to Ma¯ori content.

On Monday, we launch a refreshed Ka¯hu with a clean, simplified design.

Ka¯hu is NZME’s digital platform that showcases Ma¯ori stories and talent drawn from our newsrooms across Aotearoa. It will feature our exciting young Ma¯ori journalists including Leah Tebbutt, Te Rina Triponel, Julia Gabel, Zoe Holland, Astley Nathan and Will Terite and columnists Shane Te Pou, Debbie NgarewaPacker and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. Ka¯hu’s content is complemented by the best of Ma¯ori news from media partners Ma¯ori Television, and RNZ, including Moana Maniapoto’s awardwinning show, Te Ao with Moana.

Introducing Ka¯hu was a pivotal moment for NZME. The catalyst was Teuila Fuatai’s column “Why I found it so hard to write about racism in New Zealand for the Herald”, published in June last year. Fuatai had been commissioned to write a news feature on racism in New Zealand and the backdrop was the Black Lives Matter movement that was gaining momentum in Aotearoa, but hit roadblocks when approaching Ma¯ori on behalf of the Herald.

It became uncomfortably clear that while we had great Ma¯ori content, it wasn’t enough and little of it was commissioned, written and published through a truly Ma¯ori lens. We decided on a long-term plan to build trust among our communities, recruit Ma¯ori staff, increase content relevant to Ma¯ori audiences, and tackle issues important to Ma¯ori health, welfare, education, and development.

We have made a start but there is much to be done. And that’s exciting. Our aim is to create a sustainable, authentic platform for Ma¯ori storytelling, a process that requires earning trust among our communities.

I am proud of the work done on Ka¯hu. I am proud our newsrooms and staff recognise past failings and are making meaningful changes. I am proud NZME has committed to a broader Tiriti (Treaty) approach to commissioning, newsgathering and storytelling. I am proud to lead the charge on this NZME kaupapa (initiative) — it is the most important mahi I’ve tackled in my 40-year career.

Ma te huruhuru, ka rere te manu — adorn a bird with feathers and it will fly.