The host, Mihingarangi Forbes, smiling at the camera.

White text reads, "Mata".

40m

An in-depth podcast where Māori newsmakers and commentators unpack the latest political issues impacting Aotearoa.

Made with the support of NZ On Air & Te Māngai Pāho

18 episodes

Te Pāti Māori on their plan to change the govt and steady their waka

In an extended interview, co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi discuss their plan to change the government, their priority policies, and how they will steady their waka after one of the most turbulent periods in the party’s history.
Season 3/Episode 20
40m

An extended interview with Minister of Finance Nicola Willis

Minister of Finance Nicola Willis discusses the significant challenges facing Aotearoa's economy. The latest figures show GDP has contracted more sharply than forecast, while investor confidence has fallen to lows not seen since COVID. With unemployment climbing and the cost of living putting pressure on whānau across the motu, what is her plan to kick-start the economy, and what role might iwi play in the recovery?
Season 3/Episode 19
29m

What's going on with Te Pāti Māori?

RNZ's latest Reid Research poll shows Te Pāti Māori's hold on the Māori seats could decide who forms the next government. We speak to Media Specialist Carmen Parahi and political commentator Shane Te Pou to discuss Te Pāti Māori's big win in Tāmaki, their controversial media ban, and an unapologetic MP's racially charged posts.
Season 3/Episode 18
28m

Can te reo Māori withstand the political headwinds? An interview with Taura Whiri i Te Reo Chair Professor Rawinia Higgins

The fight for te reo Māori has entered a new phase. From school books and government agencies to eacher training and even passports, the place of te reo is under intense scrutiny. In this episode of Mata, Te Taura Whiri Māori Language Commission chair Professor Rawinia Higgins joins Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira to discuss the future of Aotearoa's first language.
Season 3/Episode 17
39m

Tāmaki-Makau-Rua: Peeni Henare and Oriini Kaipara on the battle for Tāmaki Makaurau

As voters head to the poll for the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection, Labour’s Peeni Henare and Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara join Mihingārangi to discuss the issues facing whānau in the biggest Polynesian city in the world. From housing to health to te reo Māori, he wānanga kei te haere.
Season 3/Episode 16
27m

Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick on homelessness, energy poverty, Gaza, and electoral law changes

Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick joins Mihingarangi for an unflinching conversation about the surge in homelessness and energy poverty, the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the electoral law changes that cold reshape democracy in Aotearoa.
Season 3/Episode 15
27m

What Happens When Bowel Screening Comes Too Late: Cheryl Waaka's Fight with Stage 4 Cancer Is Also a Fight for Systemic Change

Former Black Fern Cheryl Waaka represented Aotearoa New Zealand with pride. Now she's fighting stage 4 bowel cancer, which she believes could have been caught earlier. As the government walks back a targeted Māori screening programme, she's speaking out about the cost of delay, the price of treatment, and the lives still at risk.
Season 3/Episode 14
24m

Willow-Jean Prime on Education, Oranga Tamariki, Bootcamps, and a Settlement for Ngāpuhi

Labour spokesperson for Children and Education, Willow-Jean Prime explains why she believes the education system and Oranga Tamariki are failing Māori, her opposition to Act’s bootcamps and why Shane Jones’ Ngāpuhi settlement plan is a non-starter.
Season 3/Episode 13
27m

Can She Win the Super City? Mayoral Candidate Kerrin Leoni on the Fight for Tāmaki Makaurau

Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni lays out her vision for Tāmaki Makaurau, the challenges facing the Super City, and makes her case to voters in a race that could reshape Auckland's future.
Season 3/Episode 12
25m

Tania Waikato on the Haka That Shook the World, the Political Fall, and Why She Opposes the Regulatory Standards Bill

In the wake of an unprecedented punishment for the haka that drew global attention to the Treaty Principles Bill, Te Pāti Māori legal representative Tania Waikato reflects on the fallout, the opposition to the Regulatory Standards Bill, and what this moment reveals about Māori political power.
Season 3/Episode 11
27m

Chris Hipkins - A Blue Budget That's Firmly in the Red for Women and Māori

Chris Hipkins discusses the impact of the budget on Māori and how Labour plans to win back voters.
Season 3/Episode 10
25m

A Woman's Worth: How the Fight for Pay Equity Just Got Harder

E tū Union National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh discusses the government’s controversial Equal Pay Amendment Act that makes it harder for women-dominated workforces to achieve pay equity.
Season 3/Episode 9
27m

It's a (Biological) Man's World. Shane Jones: Minister, Hitman, Culture Warrior.

Shane Jones is back on the frontlines, taking the war on woke to the Waitākere Ranges and backing a bill that would define womanhood and manhood by biology. The NZ First senior minister on co-governance, culture wars, and the politics of identity. Note: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly stated that the Government’s proposed changes to early childhood sector regulations would remove the requirement to have adult toilet facilities. This is not the case. Instead the review recommended removing the licensing requirement to have an adult suitable toilet, as it is already stipulated by the Building Code. Therefore, the requirement for adult toilets remain.
Season 3/Episode 8
26m

Erica Stanford on the future of Māori education

Minister of Education Erica Standford speaks to Mihingarangi about lifting Māori achievement in education and the delivery of the school lunch programme.
Season 3/Episode 7
25m

State of the Māori Nation – An extended interview with Willie Jackson

In an extended interview, Willie Jackson discusses the state of the Māori nation, including the controversial resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal.
Season 3/Episode 4
27m

“A kūpapa to the kaupapa” - MATA Waitangi special with Tama Potaka and Paul Goldsmith

Following a “tense” pōwhiri at Waitangi, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka and Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith discuss the health of Māori Crown relations.
Season 3/Episode 2
21m

MATA Waitangi Special - An interview with Mariameno Kapa-Kingi

MP for Te Tai Tokerau Mariameno Kapa-Kingi discusses Te Pāti Māori’s proposal for a treaty commissioner and the challenges facing her electorate as Ngāpuhi hosts the commemorations for the 185th anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Season 3/Episode 3
26m

MATA Exclusive: Marama Davidson returns to Parliament

Greens co-leader Marama Davidson announces her return to mahi after breast-cancer treatment.
Season 3/Episode 1
28m

Trailers & bonus video

An interview with Police Minister Mark Mitchell

Police Minister Mark Mitchell tells Mihingarangi he has "absolute sympathy" for the Marokopa children's mother, who hasn't seen them since 2021 -- and doesn't know when she will.
Season 3/
17m

Season 1 - In partnership with

TVNZ

Season 2 - In partnership with

Newsroom

Made with the support of

Partner Logo for Te Mangai Paho for use on dark background
https://www.tmp.govt.nz

Season 1 - Made possible by the

Public Interest Journalism Fund

Seasons 2 & 3 - Made with the support of

Partner Logo for NZ on Air for use on dark background

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One young woman sits on another who is in a wheelchair in a zany candid moment. Text reads "This is Wheel Life with Soph and Indy"
Black and white faces of Helen Clark, Dame Jenny Shipley, Jim Bolger Geoffrey Palmer and Mike Moore, with the words 'The 9th Floor' underneath them. The background of the image is black.
Person on purple background resting their head in their hand. Only their head and chest is visible. Purple text along bottom of image reads, "AMPLIFIED".
An older woman with grey hair is holding a ceramic bowl up and looking at it intently as she sits at a dining table. In front of her are plates, and a bowl of green apples. Text reads "Crown Lynn: A Māori Story". Above the text is a white line illustration of a tiki with an illustration of a star on either side of it.
People standing in a forest clearing, backlit by the sun. They are all wearing traditional Māori dress. Text reads, "NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui".
Dark purple background with text, "Art Stories in Aotearoa".
The silhouette of a man against a sun either rising or setting, the sky is mostly green with a thin bank of orange light along the horizon. Text reads, "Meng".
Three figures from different original images have been edited so that they're all standing next to each other and are of varying sizes. All three people are in the midst of performing. The background in a flat bright red colour. Text in the style of graffiti reads, "The Collective". A spray painted illustration of a crown appears above the 'e' in 'Collective'.
An animated graphic of green trees and leaves in a forest, along with a red flower. The text in front reads "What Will I Be Today?"
We see a coastline of New Zealand. On the right is the land; on the left is the ocean; above are clouds. Golden text in the middle reads: "STOLEN LANDS A HIGHLANDER'S QUEST."
A sepia toned image of a family photograph depicting a woman holding the hands of two young children. The photo is deteriorating and the child on the left is almost obscured by the damage. The text reads, "Farewell Guangdong" there are also four Chinese characters, or 'Hanzi', above the text.
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A man with their back towards the camera, they're looking on onto an ocean. The image is in grey scale. Text reads, "The Art of War".
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A large mountain capped with snow. Text reads, "Land of the Long White Cloud".
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