Te Māngai Pāho Take Mohoa 2026/27: Māori Current-Affairs Video & Broadcast Funding for Organisations — 13 November
Te Māngai Pāho has created a separate 2026/27 TAKE MOHOA REO MĀORI funding round for FLUENT CURRENT-AFFAIRS JOURNALISM, including relevant video and broadcast screen projects. The new standalone programme aims to deliver Māori perspectives, regional voices and significant issues of the day to national audiences in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is distinct from the agency's Ngahau entertainment call, which expressly excludes journalism.
DEADLINE — This RFP was published and opened on MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 2026, and applications close on FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2026 at 5pm New Zealand local time. The agency expects to notify outcomes on 11 December 2026. Applicants need to arrange Te Pūahatanga portal access sufficiently early because registration can take up to three working days.
CRITICAL LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT — Take Mohoa defines FLUENT current-affairs proposals as journalism projects containing BETWEEN 70% AND 100% te reo Māori. The language percentage applies to the content, not merely the title, introduction or promotional social posts. A team should document staff competence, editorial language oversight, speakers and processes for Māori-language quality assurance.
ORGANISATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY — The current RFP says eligible applicants are COMPANIES, TRUSTS AND ORGANISATIONS. INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING SOLE TRADERS, CANNOT RECEIVE FUNDING through this particular round. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability and rights to create original, professional, culturally grounded current affairs with credible national media distribution, and meet the programme portal's detailed requirements.
FUNDING AMOUNT — Te Māngai Pāho expects to allocate up to NZ$1.2 million PLUS GST to the WHOLE ROUND, targeting at least one project. It may spend more or less at its discretion. This amount is a round-level allocation, NOT an automatic award or maximum grant to any one editorial team. Applications are assessed competitively and the RFP anticipates fewer than half of submissions will succeed.
CREATIVE AND MEDIA SCOPE — Applicants must plan high-quality current affairs journalism rather than entertainment sketches, standalone animation or fictional microdramas. Documentary-style editorial video, investigative audiovisual storytelling, explainers or news analysis might fit if they follow journalism principles, national audience requirements and the clear fluent-language threshold. Ordinary commercial brand videos and generic international digital-art installations are not within the stated purpose.
SUBMISSION MATERIALS — Proposals must describe creative and editorial content, a language strategy, identified target audience and platform, production timetable and realistic budget, and the applicant and key personnel. Prove production readiness, journalistic quality, factual verification, Māori worldview and the ability to reach relevant audiences through appropriate platforms.
IMPORTANT MEDIA DISTRIBUTION CONDITION — The RFP expects funded screen content to be made available to Whakaata Māori/Māori+ after a short exclusivity period on its primary platform; it exempts content made for social-media channels from that requirement. The funder also needs content audience analytics for language-impact measurement, so distribution rights and platform data access should be arranged in advance.
ORGANISER EXPERIENCE — Te Māngai Pāho invests in reo Māori media, news, cultural content, radio and Māori music. Its official statement says it invested NZ$11.8 million in news and current-affairs content and technical infrastructure in 2025/26; Take Mohoa is an additional focused response to the sector's need for strong fluent journalism. It publishes RFP criteria and uses its own secure Te Pūahatanga submission portal.
OFFICIAL APPLICATION — https://www.tmp.govt.nz/en/documents/341/RFP_2026-27_-_Take_Mohoa_Reo_Maori.final.pdf . Current status and closing date: https://www.tmp.govt.nz/en/funding/diverse-content/funding-rounds-dates/ . Apply only through the Te Pūahatanga official portal. This information was verified against the 19 October 2026 RFP.