23 July 2024
NZ On Air, partnering with Te Māngai Pāho, recently commissioned a two phase research study to develop an in-depth understanding of Māori audiences' media behaviour, attitudes and content needs. The research is to inform the two funding agencies' strategies and decisions around creating content that appeals to and engages Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Modelled on similar research undertaken in 2022 into Youth audiences, the research consisted of both qualitative and quantitative studies. The qualitative work, undertaken by Weaving Insights, was designed to understand how Māori make decisions about what media content to engage with, what they are looking for in that content, their wants and needs around use of te reo Māori, and their perceptions of local content versus global content.
The quantitative study was based on the established Where Are The Audiences methodology, and measured media consumption and the incidence and relative importance of the trends and themes identified in the qualitative phase.
Some of the key findings of the research were:
- Māori enjoy local content, finding it relatable, and are attracted by humour, authentic characters, familiar faces and places, Māori culture, history, and Kiwi music
- But more spend time on global platforms than local so discovering this content is less likely
- Rangatahi Māori (15-24) are big on video games and social media
- Word of mouth and social media are the ways Māori discover content
- Most Māori, even fluent speakers of te reo, prefer media content with simple conversations in te reo Māori rather than full te reo Māori
- Whakaata Māori is recognised as the home for content for and about Māori although 25% (primarily those with low te reo Māori fluency) don’t think of going there.
The full individual reports are available below for download. There is also a presentation deck which combines the findings of the two parts of the research, and an infographic.
Infographic in te reo Māori and English