on the exposé that led to Māori Television exit
Two of Aotearoa's top Māori journalists have opened up on the backlash to their 2013 exposé of Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust - a story that would see them ostracised by other Māori and ultimately lead to them stepping away from their jobs.
Mihingarangi Forbes and Annabelle Lee-Mather of Three's The Hui were at Māori Television's Native Affairs nine years ago when they started looking into complaints about Te Kōhanga Reo, a Māori immersion programme for preschool-age children.
After a bit of digging, what initially felt like "a normal little news story" soon morphed into an investigation into allegations of serious financial mismanagement that would go on to garner national attention and prompt a political intervention.
Forbes (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Maniapoto) and Lee-Mather (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Māmoe) spoke candidly about the personal cost of breaking the story on re_covering, a Media Chaplaincy New Zealand podcast produced for RNZ featuring top Kiwi journalists discussing the stories that have shaped their careers.
Link to recording and article: The Hui duo Mihingarangi Forbes and Annabelle Lee-Mather on the exposé that led to Māori Television exit | Newshub
