My Final Word clip: Iwi Radio Cuts Could Cost Lives — And Silence Māori Voices
Cutting iwi radio funding isn’t a budget decision — it’s a decision about who gets heard when it matters most. In the middle of climate chaos and an election cycle dripping with disinformation, the Government is flirting with pulling the plug on some of the most trusted voices Māori communities have.
This week, Martyn sounds the alarm on proposed funding cuts to iwi radio — and the real-world consequences for Aotearoa.
This isn’t just radio — it’s survival infrastructure
A 25% cut to iwi radio funding could shut down nearly a third of the network.
That’s not trimming fat — that’s cutting communication lifelines.
Iwi radio isn’t just broadcasting. It’s how communities get warnings during extreme weather. It’s how local information moves when infrastructure fails. It’s how Māori voices stay present in a media landscape already dominated by commercial noise.
And it exists because of Treaty obligations — not as a favour, but as a commitment.
So who benefits when Māori voices go quiet?
Slashing that in an election year, when misinformation is rising and climate risks are intensifying, isn’t just bad policy. It’s a choice about whose voices matter when things go wrong.
Because when the signal disappears, it won’t be politicians left in the dark.
This ugly, vile, racist CoC is doing everything it can to undermine the Treaty, the Treaty commitments, and now proposing to cut the iwi radio budget. All this under the incompetent ‘leadership[?]’ of our Christian PM who is again using underhand, scurrilous tactics. He simply can’t see an honorable way, so stumbles around grabbing frantically at anything he believes would benefit HIM, not our PEOPLE. Shame on you Luxon and your cruel, brain-dead voters. Horrible that there are many people out there with ‘Plenty’ but who are so greedy and grasping it wouldn’t occur to them to start ‘Sharing’ or paying ‘Higher Taxes’. Thx to those who are contributing.