Funding Updates

Successful comedy returns in 2026 reo Māori co-fund round

NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho have announced funding for four scripted and documentary productions through the 2026 Reo Māori Content Co-Fund.

Published on:

November 2, 2026

NZ On Air

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Irirangi Te Motu | NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho have confirmed four successful projects funded in the 2026 Reo Māori Content Co-Fund.

Four projects spanning comedy, drama and documentary have received funding to increase the presence of te reo Māori on screen.

A total of 10 scripted and non-fiction production applications were submitted to the round – with two projects receiving scripted production funding and two receiving non-fiction funding. The joint co-fund of $8m opened for applications in August 2026, aimed at supporting high quality, reo Māori screen content for a broad audience. Projects are required to contain at least 30 percent te reo Māori.

The successful scripted comedy Dead Ahead has been confirmed for a third season, following a strong audience response to its first season. The series was TVNZ’s most-viewed funded on-demand production for both NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho for the 2025/26 financial year, generating 852,900 views on TVNZ+.

The series was also picked up by Netflix in New Zealand and Australia, where it reached the top three most-watched series on the platform.

The six-part season, which will contain 40 percent te reo Māori, continues the story of the Wharekoa whānau. Season two premieres on TVNZ+ on 3 November.

Also receiving scripted funding is Wharekura, a new rangatahi series for Māori+ and Whakaata Māori. Described as a Māori Glee for a new generation, the series brings together te reo Māori, kapa haka, music and contemporary rangatahi stories, with the stage set within a kura. It marks Mahi Tahi Media’s first move into scripted drama.

In non-fiction, Beyond Identity follows four well-known New Zealanders at different stages of their journeys within te ao Māori as they seek to understand how they became disconnected from their Māoritanga. The four-part series will follow their reconnection with whakapapa, whenua, whānau, history, tikanga and reo.

Origins will return for a fourth season, with Scotty Morrison taking audiences into 16th and 17th century Aotearoa. Drawing on whakapapa, oral histories and archaeology, the three-part documentary series explores the question: how did Māori become Māori?

“Our long standing partnership with Te Māngai Pāho continues to show what we can achieve together – ambitious stories that bring reo Māori content to a broad audience,”

says NZ On Air Chief Executive Cameron Harland.

“This latest round builds on that success, backing returning favourites alongside fresh ideas that give audiences more opportunities to hear and enjoy te reo Māori on screen.”

“Our co-funding partnership with NZ On Air enables the creation of quality reo Māori content for our screens. The four successful projects will deliver informative and entertaining content to audiences, while championing te reo Māori and showcasing a richness and diversity of our stories and voices,”

says Larry Parr, Kaihautū of Te Māngai Pāho.

The four scripted and non-fiction productions will receive total funding of up to $7,934,130.