Ruia Mai
| Broadcast area | New Zealand, Online |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Te Ratonga Irirangi o te Motu |
| Frequency | 1179AM |
| First air date | April 1996-April2005 |
| Format | Talk radio |
| Language(s) | Māori |
| Owner | Ngāti Whātua |
| Website | Official Ruia Mai website |
Ruia Mai was a Māori language radio station based in Auckland, New Zealand. Ruia Mai was started by Mai FM owners Ngāti Whātua (one of the largest Maori tribes in New Zealand) in 1996.[1] For a period, the station was broadcast live on the Internet as well.
Although Ruia Mai itself was a radio station in Auckland broadcasting on 1179am, it provided the network of 21 iwi stations across New Zealand with hourly Māori language news bulletins. It also produced current affairs, children's programmes and documentaries for the iwi radio network.
Ruia Mai was part of Mai Media Limited which operated the high rating urban R&B and Hip Hop music station Mai FM. The station however was mainly funded by the government via the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency - Te Māngai Paaho.
It won various awards for best Māori broadcast at the New Zealand Radio Awards in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 and was the first radio station in New Zealand to broadcast only in Māori.[1]
Closure
In 2004 the station went off air and was replaced by The Voice of Samoa. This was due to Te Māngai Pāho, a government agency, awarding a large news and current affairs contract to a rival bilingual Māori/English radio station, Radio Waatea.[1] At the time of closure, Ruia Mai had been employing 15 staff.[1]
Within a few years MediaWorks purchased Mai Media's assets including Mai FM and its Auckland, Northland, and Rotorua FM frequencies.
The 1179AM frequency was retained by the Auckland tribe Ngāti Whātua and uses it to run AKE 1179AM.
AKE 1179AM
Ngāti Whātua Radio on Air
01 SEPTEMBER 2010
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua is broadcasting music and short items about the Iwi on the radio station that used to broadcast Ruia Mai.
Te Reo o Ngāti Whātua Ake is currently on air in Auckland on 1179am and is targeted at 30-to 55-year-olds living in the Ngāti Whātua rohe (tribal area) The mainly music station is on air 24 hours-a-day and currently commercial-free.
The aim of the Rūnanga is for Ake to reach as wide a geographical audience as possible, and help develop a Ngāti Whātua voice in the region. In taking steps to do so, the Rūnanga is set to trial the station in Whangarei, Dargaville and Helensville using low power FM transmitters to reach the central townships of these areas.
The level of interest in the station will determine whether the Rūnanga invests further in these markets.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Funding cut silences Ruia Mai". Te Waha Nui, Retrieved 21 July 2009.