Kingi Ihaka

Kingi Ihaka spent time as a freezing worker, SAS soldier — at age 19, he was one of New Zealand’s youngest — Armed Offenders Squad member, and prison guard, before venturing into broadcasting. In 1987 Whai Ngata invited him on board new te reo series Waka Huia, interviewing Māori elders and preserving their stories. Later, at Māori Television, he was a subtitler, Programme Commissioner and Cultural Advisor. After stepping down in 2009 he remained a member of the station's Kaunihera — its Elder’s Council. He was also a talkback host and te reo advisor on Auckland's Radio Waatea. Kingi Ihaka died on 17 January 2017; he was 74.

He understood broadcasting. He understood the sense of performance. Broadcaster Derek Fox remembers Kingi Ihaka, in an interview with Radio New Zealand, 17 January 2017