14 May 2013

Whanau agreement key to webcasting tangihanga

8:18 am on 14 May 2013

A pioneer in the broadcast of Maori funerals over the internet says webcasting must be guided by individual whanau, and may not be something with which all Maori are comfortable.

Hera Ngata-Gibson of Te Aitanga a Hauiti started streaming tangihanga 10 years ago when her uncle passed away, particulary as a service for whanau who could not travel to the funeral.

She says it was easy to convince her elders about the practical reasons for a webcast, but she says at the end of the day that decision must be for the bereaved family to make.

Ms Ngata-Gibson, who is a relative of Parekura Horomia, says there was a lot of media at his funeral who were able to link into the webcast thanks to the people of Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti who agreed to its broadcast.

But she says before any webcast of a tangi goes ahead what should and what shouldn't be broadcast needs to be discussed openly.

She says local tikanga must be respected because what might be culturally appropriate for one marae may not be the case for another.