Date Created: June 24, 2021
Tēnā tatou i te āhuatanga o te toru ngahuru tau o tā tātou taonga pāoho. Tēnā hoki tātou i te puanga o te kāhui whetu o te tau, e ara mai ra e Puanga, ko koe tēnā te kaikukume i a Matariki.
Last week, we celebrated a very special milestone for our iwi radio station AWA FM who turned 30 years old! Mouri ora!
A big marquee was set up in the carpark behind our tari where the birthday special broadcast was run from. The day started early with our kaumātua opening the event with karakia, and more roopu rolled in throughout the day to tautoko te kaupapa.
It was a fitting place to hold the celebrations, given it was the house next door that the first ever AWA FM broadcast took place on a cold morning on June 17 in 1991.
It was an awesome day on site, with groups of tauira from our kura kaupapa and colleges setting up in the marquee to sing waiata and share their korero and tributes live on air.
Many of us in the tari were popping out to the marquee to watch our tamariki and rangatahi share their mihimihi, their korero and their waiata proudly. They were awesome!
The AWA FM team did a great job with their special broadcast and birthday event. We got to hear old school announcers make a reappearance on air like Tauira Allan and Tyla Te Patu Gurnick. We heard special interviews with past announcers and station supporters.
The stories and tributes continued into the evening, with Taurawhiri transformed and packed out for a special birthday dinner. Past announcers, managers and board members joined the current board and kaimahi to share in celebration of how far we have come.
Board chair Racquel McKenzie shared that the station is a taonga to all of us, and that the celebration was not just about the radio station but rather a celebration of us as an iwi. She said we all have a role to play in the success of AWA FM which is an important wero to us all.
It has been great to see the progress that AWA FM continues to make and we are excited about the future and what is in store for our taonga pāoho.
Here's to another 30 years AWA FM!!!
Tu winiwini, tu wanawana mouri whakatina nga korero, mouri whakatina nga wananga tu mouritia i a Ranginui e tu nei!
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