Te Rauhiringa Brown is presenting the weekend weather reports on TV1. Photo / Supplied
Te Rauhiringa Brown is presenting the weekend weather reports on TV1. Photo / Supplied
Here in Aotearoa it's not uncommon to hear our news presenters read part of the bulletin in te reo Māori.
But on TVNZ 1's 6pm Sunday news bulletin, hearing the weather reporting in our national language apparently didn't sit well with some viewers on social media.
Presenter Te Rauhiringa Brown (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Kahu), is currently covering the weekend weather report while Renee Wright is on maternity leave.
Brown presented Sunday night's forecast in both te reo and English, using both place names for cities such as Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Kirikiriroa/Hamilton, Ōtautahi/Christchurch, and Ōtepoti/Dunedin.
And while the response had been overwhelmingly positive, some took offence, taking to TVNZ 1's Facebook page after the broadcast to share their thoughts.
"I understand that we could all improve our understanding of te reo ... but not on the one tv news at 6pm," one wrote on Facebook.
"I want to know what is happening with the weather over my country. Not get a Māori language lesson. If you want to provide the weather in te reo then do so on one of the Māori channels," shared another, despite the report being in both English and te reo.
Another response was more strongly worded: "Never watching tv1 again. Can't understand Māori language."
Meanwhile, another commented, "We need presentation of the weather back to how it used to be. Far too garbled, not easy to understand."
Another wrote that he had "little idea of what the presenter is saying! Part in what I assume is Māori the balance in English [sic]. What a disgrace! This is New Zealand not Rarotonga."
Te Rauhiringa Brown is presenting the weekend weather reports on TV1. Photo / Supplied
While he was correct in saying this isn't Rarotonga - it's Aotearoa - the presenter was speaking te reo, not Rarotongan or Cook Islands Māori.
In response to a request for comment from the Herald, a spokesperson for TVNZ said, "We welcome feedback from our viewers and our Facebook pages are moderated appropriately. We are proud of our presenters and how they embrace New Zealand's unique cultural identity. Our presenters and journalists are welcome to use a combination of English and te reo Māori where appropriate."
The spokesperson noted that the broadcaster does not formally respond to complaints about the use of te reo since the Broadcasting Standards Authority's 2020 decision that it is not a breach of programme standards to broadcast in Māori.
"The BSA has specifically advised that broadcasters are not expected to respond formally to complaints about te reo Māori."
Last month Brown told Te Ao Maori News she jumped at the chance to share her love for te reo Māori on the 6pm news.
"It's great to be a part of the shift that we're seeing in mainstream TV at the moment," she said.
The backlash comes after Whittaker's released their Creamy Milk block with a te reo label last week. Photo / Supplied
It comes after similar backlash over Whittakers' te reo-labelled block of chocolate was released last week.
Some Creamy Milk lovers were offended by the te reo name, Miraka Kirimi, being printed on the label and said they would be boycotting the brand.
