Tangatawhenua.com

TangataWhenua.com is an indigenous, Māori-run and Māori-operated online news and information Limited Liability Company based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. It is the only web-based media company of its kind in the world (Tu Mai 2006). It was founded in 2002 by Potaua & Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule while students at Waikato University. The fortnightly web-based newsletter was developed during a time when there were no Māori-focused newsletters of this type. The newsletter's content provides relevant news, information and events targeted at a predominantly Māori audience.

An initial run of three brief text-based newsletters, called RANGIKAINGA, was produced in the summer of 2002, the response to which was significant. At the end of the first year the company had a subscriber base of over 1400. The company was incorporated in 2003 and soon after the domain name TangataWhenua.com was officially registered. There are currently over 5000 subscribers.

The word Tangata Whenua means "People of the Land" and refers to indigenous Māori of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Highlights

In 2005, RANGIKAINGA received a commendation from the Human Rights Commission of New Zealand for its positive contribution to race relations [cite web|url= [http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/newsandissues/otbs-march2005.php|title=On the Bright Side|publisher=Human Rights Commission of New Zealand] . In 2006, RANGIKAINGA received an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) by the National Library of New Zealand - Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa [cite web|url= [http://nlnzcat.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&Search_Arg=rangikainga&SL=None&Search_Code=FT*&CNT=25&submit=Catalogue+Search|title=Rangikainga|publisher=New Zealand National Bibliography] , confirming its place as a periodic serial. In 2007, TangataWhenua.com began facilitating Stage 2 the Google Maori Project [cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10521805|title=Google Māori helps te reo go places|publisher=New Zealand Herald] . The aim of the project was to translate the Google Search Interface into Māori allowing users around the world to search Google totally in te reo Māori. Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori - the Māori Language Commission provided support. Google Māori was completed in June 2008 and launched worldwide on 23 July 2008.

Domestic Stance

On domestic matters it is pro-Māori, supporting tino rangatiratanga, indigenous self-determination and development. In the past it has strongly disapproved of mainstream media coverage of Māori issues including the New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy and the 2007 New Zealand anti-terror raids on Tuhoe.

References and Sources

[http://www.tumai.co.nz Tu Mai] (March, 2006). “Technopreneurs, a sign of the times”. Tu Mai Publishers, Auckland.

External links

* [http://www.tangatawhenua.com TangataWhenua.com]