A friend and colleague says the late Puhi Rangiaho brought her Tuhoe reo and tikanga into television in a way that made it richer for all.
The former Waka Huia presenter and director died on Monday aged 71 after a long illness.
Hone Edwards says Ms Rangiaho was comfortable on both sides of the camera, and she had an admirable skill set that allowed her to get the best out of kuia and koroua.
"She was a stickler for tikanga, the dry end really of Maori broadcasting with regards to tikanga, and te reo was of vital importance to her, the way we were able to use television to revitalise the language and therefore use our tikanga in a way that was conducive to kaumatua and kuia so they felt comfortable with the world of television," he says.
Mr Edwards says Puhi Rangiaho’s involvement with the ill-fated Aotearoa Television Network was an essential but highly-political step that needed to be gone through on the path of creating an indigenous television service.
