Screentalk

Tainui Stephens

Posted on 17 May 2009

Tainui Stephens (Te Rarawa) is one of our foremost Māori broadcasters. He has worked as a reporter, writer, director, producer and executive producer. His credits include Maori Battalion March to Victory and The New Zealand Wars. Stephens was a stalwart of TVNZ’s Māori Programmes department in the 1980s and 90s, working on the regular series Koha, Waka Huia, Marae and Mai Time. In this interview Tainui Stephens discusses:

• being raised by his Pākehā mother, and his own personal journey “into my Māoridom”
• beginning work at TVNZ Māori Programmes in 1984, and how much he enjoyed his work there
• how he loves all the programmes he has worked on over the years
• the good that Māori broadcasting can do
• the Maori Television Service, its success, and the important role it plays in New Zealand life.

This interview is available on YouTube for distribution via a Creative Commons licence. Credits: Interview by Monika Ahuriri, camera and direction by Clare O'Leary. Editing by Leo Guerchmann.

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