Lovable lady Nanny Mihi – and her alter-ego Robynleigh Emery – is cleaning out the whare of weekday children’s slot TAU KĒ and unveiling a new season of shows to entertain and educate tamariki in the Māori language.
Screening on Māori Television between 4.00 PM and 5.30 PM, TAU KĒ is presented by Robynleigh and her gracious granny character who teach tamariki about the world as well as fronting a range of colourful, clever and creative children’s programmes aimed at kōhanga and kura kaupapa Māori kiddies.
Kicking off the line-up at 4.00 PM every weekday is MANU RERE – a celebration of kōhanga reo achievement, diversity and talent. Then, two new shows premiere on Monday May 28 at 4.30 PM: magical puppetry masterpiece TORO PIKOPIKO E! with more timeless traditional tales and WĀ PUKAPUKA which uses animation, music and narration to bring Huia picture books to life.
THE CUBEEZ – weekdays at 5.00 PM from Tuesday May 22 – is a cute cartoon starring four friends who live in the rainbow-coloured world of ‘Cubeeland’ and is followed by a session with DR OTTER as he tends to his animals patients.
A trained teacher, Robynleigh (Ngāti Awa, Tainui, Te Aupōuri, Tuhoe, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Koroki) writes original waiata every week about themes as diverse as hats and outer space and performs the songs – along with Nanny Mihi – for the amusement and education of TAU KĒ viewers.
Children can email their comments and contributions to the dynamic duo on tauke@maoritelevision.com.
So how did she get the role of Nanny Mihi? “Good old Nanny! Well, it was the idea of my producer at the time and we just rolled with it. What a fabulous idea she has turned out to be – we’ve just got so much great feedback about our Nanny, she’s getting more famous than me!” T
hat’s meant guest appearances for the irrepressible character who’s MC-ed at special events throughout the country such as the recent Tuhoe festival and kura fundraisers. In the meantime, Robynleigh is busy writing new waiata for her show and gearing up for the indigenous Aotearoa Pacific New Year, Matariki, in mid-June. “Matariki signals growth,” she says. “It’s a time of change, a time to prepare and a time of action. We’re ready to welcome in the Māori New Year with new aspirations and goals for TAU KĒ – let’s all celebrate our unique place in the world!”
Catch a captivating collection of contemporary children’s programming with TAU KĒ – every weekday from 4.00 PM on Māori Television.