Olly Coddington
[Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa]
Olly Coddington won fame as one of the presenters of bilingual youth show Mai Time, and its successor I AM TV. Since leaving I AM TV in 2009, he has taken on a range of screen roles, from on air work to producing Māori Television reality show Game of Bros. Coddington is a fluent speaker of te reo Māori.
Māori is who I am. I’m also Pākehā and Rarotongan, and it’s very important to me to recognise where I come from and draw strength from my heritage, culture, and ancestors. Olly Coddington, in an interview for website Wicked
Game of Bros
Hosted and created by comedians Pani and Pani, this Māori Television reality show aimed to "sort the bro’s from the boys" by testing 12 Polynesian men on their ability to tackle traditional warrior skills. The popular bros-meets-The Bachelor series produced shirtless calendars and an award-winning 'Lover Boy vs Lavalava Boy' advertising campaign. As of 2017, two seasons had been made by Tiki Lounge Productions. In the second, ex-league player and Code host Wairangi Koopu joined as Games Master. Stuff reviewer Pattie Pegler praised the show’s self-deprecating approach.
Pete and Pio (food show)
2Kaha
Totes Māori
Hosted by Alex Tarrant (Filthy Rich) and Niwa Whatuira, this series for rangatahi featured interviews (from singers Ladi6 and Che Fu, to model Ngahuia Williams), and visits to festivals and events (eg the NZ DMC DJ champs, Waiata Māori Music Awards and Armageddon). Animated feature 'True Cuz' gave wry advice on everything from laying a hangi, to preparing for doomsday. Those behind the camera included former Mai Time presenter Olly Coddington (feild directing), and Toi Iti (producing). The series was made by TVNZ’s Māori department, and screened on Saturday mornings on TV2.
Totes Māori - Bloopers (Series One)
This is the bloopers reel from the 2013 TV2 series for young people. Presenters Alex Tarrant and Niwa Whatuira feature prominently. Whatuira states the obvious when meeting some Diwali drummers, singers Anika Moa and Ria Hall need some practice as a presenting duo, Tarrant drops the mic (but not in a good way), actor Shavaughn Ruakere has trouble with Shortland Street’s sliding doors, Stan Walker provides a dodgy intro to his music video, Fat Freddy members Dallas and Ian fluff their lines, and Whatuira chats up an interviewee. Plus there are festival and playground photo bombs.
Fresh
Fresh is a popular TVNZ youth show with a focus on Pasifika arts, culture, events and sport. Since 2011 its “Poly-platter” of pacific flavours has ranged from singer Ria Hall and sports star Sonny Bill Williams, to Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa and hip hop choreographer Parris Goebel. It screens on Saturday mornings on TV2. Fresh regulars have included Robbie Magasiva, Samoan 'sisters' Pani and Pani, and the Fresh Housewives. The show is produced by Tiki Lounge Productions, the team behind online PI social network Coconet.tv.
Bride Flight
I Am TV
Interactivity with viewers was at the heart of TVNZ bilingual youth series I AM TV. Launched at a time when social networking website Bebo was still king, I AM TV enhanced audience participation via online competitions, sharing amateur videos, and encouraging fans to send in questions during live interviews. Te reo and tikanga Māori featured heavily in the series, which showcased music videos, sports, pranks, interviews and travel around Aotearoa. Hosts over the five years the show was on air included Kimo Houltham, Candice Davis and Mai Time's Olly Coddington.
I Am TV - Series One, Final Episode
Hosts Olly Coddington, Gabrielle Paringatai and Candice Davis front this TVNZ youth series from the era of Bebo and Obama. The series flavours youth TV fare (music videos, sport, online competitions) with reo and tikanga. This final episode from the show’s first year is set around a roof party on top of Auckland’s TVNZ HQ. Hip hop dance crews, Shortland Street stars and DJs are mixed with clips of the year’s 'best of' moments: field reports (from robot te reo to toilet advice and office Olympics) and special guests (from rapper Savage to actor Te Kohe Tuhaka playing Scrabble).
Mai Time - Final Episode
Mai Time was an influential magazine show for Māori youth, exploring te ao Māori and pop culture (it was one of the first shows to screen local hip-hop), with presenters speaking in te reo and English. This one hour final looks back over the 12 years of the show, beginning with a roll call of hosts: including Stacey Morrison (nee Daniels), Quinton Hita, and Teremoana Rapley. Current hosts Olly Coddington and Gabrielle Paringatai look at the show’s impact and legacy, as well as Stacey’s “mad facial expressions”, Patara’s Stubbies and Quinton’s Peter Andre tribute.
The Outlook For Someday
Mai Time - Series 12, Episode 18
Mai Time was an influential magazine show for Māori youth, screening for a decade on Saturday mornings on TV2. This episode looks at the place of ta moko (tattoo), interviewing Robert Ruha, a 27-year-old with a full-face moko. Mai Time crew visit Otara Music Arts Centre, a Matariki exhibition at Whaingaroa (Raglan), and then artist Lisa Reihana finds “more mean art by the sea”: Brett Graham and Rachel Rakena’s Aniwaniwa exhibition at the 52nd Venice Biennale. Aptly, the artwork explores the 1947 flooding of the village of Horahora for a hydroelectric scheme.
Kōrero Mai
Kōrero Mai ('speak to me') used a soap opera (Ākina) as a vehicle to teach conversational Māori, aided by te reo tutorials. Special segments taught song and tikanga. Multiple seasons were made for for Māori Television by Cinco Cine Productions. Cast and crew with credits on the series include presenters Matai Smith and Gabrielle Paringata; actors Calvin Tutaeo, Vanessa Rare, Jaime Passier-Armstrong, and Ben Mitchell; and directors Rawiri Paratene, Rachel House and Simon Raby. Kōrero Mai won Best Māori Programme at the 2005 Qantas TV Awards.
Making Mistakes
Mai Time
Mai Time was an influential magazine show for Māori youth, exploring te ao Māori and pop culture (it was one of the first shows to show local hip-hop), with presenters speaking in te reo and English. Running for 12 years, it began as a slot on Marae, then screened on Saturday mornings on TV2. Mai Time was a breeding ground for Māori television talent: launching the careers of Stacey Morrison (nee Daniels), Quinton Hita, Teremoana Rapley and others. It was the brainchild of Tainui Stephens, and was produced by Greg Mayor, then from 2004 by Anahera Higgins.