In Aotearoa, it is not uncommon for our news presenters to read some of te reo Māori’s announcements.

But in TVNZ 1’s 6pm news announcement on Sunday, some viewers on social media clearly didn’t like the weather coverage in our native language.

Presenter Te Rauhiringa Brown (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Kahu) is currently covering the weekend forecast while Renee Wright is on maternity leave.

Brown provided Sunday night forecasts in te reo and English, using the names of the cities of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Kirikiriroa/Hamilton, Ōtautahi/Christchurch and Ōtepoti/Dunedin.

While the response was overwhelmingly positive, some people got angry and took to TVNZ 1’s Facebook page to share their thoughts after the broadcast.

“I know we can all improve our understanding of te reo…but not on the 6pm TV news,” one wrote on Facebook.

“I would like to know the weather in my country. Don’t take a Maori language class. If you want to provide the weather on te reo, then provide it on one of the Maori channels,” another shared, although the report was in English and te reo.

Another response was more strongly worded: “Never watch TV1 again. Can’t understand Maori.”

Meanwhile, another commented: “We need to bring the weather back to the way it was. It’s too messy to understand.”

Another wrote that he “hardly knew what the presenter was talking about! I think it was partly Maori, balance of English” [sic]. What a shame! This is New Zealand not Rarotonga. “

While he said it wasn’t Rarotonga – it was Aotearoa was correct – the presenter said te reo, not Rarotonga or Cook Islands Maori.

In response to the Herald’s request for comment, a TVNZ spokesman said: “We welcome feedback from our audience and our Facebook page has been adjusted as appropriate. proud of our cultural identity. Our presenters also welcome journalists to use a combination of English and Māori where appropriate.”

The spokesman noted that broadcasters had not formally responded to complaints about the use of te reo since the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s 2020 decision that broadcasting in Maori did not violate programming standards.

“The BSA has made it clear that broadcasters should not formally respond to complaints about te reo Māori.”

Last month, Brown told Mana Wikaire-Lewis of Te Ao Maori News that she took the opportunity to share her love for te reo Māori in the 6pm news.

“It’s nice to be part of the shift we’re seeing in mainstream TV right now,” she said.

This follows a similar backlash against Whittakers’ te reo labelled chocolate bars last week.

Some creamy milk lovers were offended by the te reo name Miraka Kirimi printed on the label and said they would boycott the brand.

However, it was also pointed out that there are countless products on the shelves of our supermarkets marked in other languages.