18 Apr 2023

Here comes The TAHI

2:26 pm on 18 April 2023
Presenters of The TAHI show: L-R Liam Brown, Evie Orpe, So'omalo Iteni Schwalger

Presenters of The TAHI show (left-to right): Liam Brown, Evie Orpe, So'omalo Iteni Schwalger Photo: Liam Brown

A new show for young people, by young people, launches today. The twist - it's not trying to buy their data or sell them anything.

The TAHI is a new twice-weekly podcast show from RNZ, focusing on music, arts, local news and whatever else rangatahi are talking about.

Hosts So'omalo Iteni Schwalger, Evie Orpe and Liam Brown will interview guests about their latest projects and riff on what is going on in their lives and around them.

Executive producer and TAHI team lead Harrison Pali says show guests will include musicians, creatives, young newsmakers and commentators who will be talking about the things that matter to 18 - 30-year-olds.

"Evie, So'omalo and Liam are going to make the audience laugh, think and be curious about a wide range of topics from daily life through to news that is relevant to rangatahi," Pali said.

"The TAHI team thinks it's incredibly important for young people to have media that is non-commercial.

"Our pure focus is to make the best show possible for the audience's interests."

The first episode, which has just dropped on TAHI's podcast and social media channels, features 2023 Taite Music Prize finalist TE KAAHU.

Each 40-minute episode of The TAHI will be released in full on podcast platforms every Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm, with audio from the show edited to play among the music streaming on TAHI.fm. Video clips from the show and extra content will be released on TAHI's social channels, including TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

The TAHI builds on what has already been happening on TAHI.fm (the music stream with a playlist featuring more than 50 percent local artists and live music sessions) and the TAHI social media channels since December 2021.

"Rangatahi are engaging and interacting with content more than ever," Pali said.

"Where they are consuming their content will continue to evolve and change, but the core idea of being drawn to content because of the personalities that they like, trust and relate to is the same."