Whare Kōrero
“The iwi radio network produces the most indigenous language content in the world and everyone can now access all of it in one place, in one whare, for the protection and revitalisation of tikanga and te reo Māori.”
The project
The UN estimates that an indigenous language dies every two weeks. When speakers of minority languages cannot fully engage with technology, this further marginalises their language and reduces their ability to fully participate in society.
Te Hiku Media is committed to the revitalisation of tikanga and te reo Māori, and developed a Kaitiakitanga licence to express guardianship rather than ownership of the content and data of the 21 iwi radio stations in their network.
Expertise
Research
UX Design
UI Design
Frontend Development
Backend Development
Native Application Development
Cloud / Systems Integration
Quality Assurance & Testing
1st
Indigenous media app of its kind
3.1k
Downloads in its first month
All access
For both the iwi stations and the end user, it was important that there be no hierarchy or bias to any one channel. It is up to the user to choose which iwi content to engage with, and so being able to easily swipe through options and set preferences to add or remove channels is valuable.
To develop the app we conducted usability testing with a selection of people who had an interest in Māori media and were ranging in location, fluency and age to cover off the bases of the 21 iwi stations involved in the platform. As well as testing the usability of the app, we probed for comfort level with the amount of reo within the app, and how they may use it in their day to day lives.
“E hika mā. Kai te tino harikoa awau ki te kitea te ‘app’ nei. Karawhiua! Te Reo Irirangi ki te ao!”
By Māori, for Māori
There was excitement around having access to Māori media that wasn’t media about Māori - but media for Māori. The same excitement was shown for being able to connect to their iwi that was in a different location to where they are personally.
Data sovereignty
Only anonymous aggregated data is collected to ensure that iwi stations get the metrics they need to ensure they are meeting the requirements of funders and the demand of Māori audiences, but other than that, the privacy of Māori audiences is protected. The app’s live streaming capability also broadens the accessibility and reach of iwi content creators to share high rating community events such as kapa haka and tangi - without being cut off by global big tech entities.
See it in action
This video shows how all users who have an interest in Māori media, ranging in location, fluency and age can listen to any of the 21 iwi radio channels around the motu, and watch all the latest kapa haka performances from the regions.
Awards
▪ Open Source Awards 2021 | Winner Open Source Use in Business
Ready to make better happen?
