This story was first published by Ohinga with the support of Te Ao Māori News.
If you’re a regular scroller on social media, there’s a chance your For You page (FYP) has increasingly hosted more and more Māori content creators and influencers in recent years.
Indeed, Māori are on the rise for social audiences, both in Aotearoa, and globally.
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Āti Awa and Ngāi Tahu) is the youngest member of parliament in 170 years and her maiden speech went viral making headlines worldwide and 35 million views.
“We’re just being us, and we’re doing it a little more loudly because we need to make sure that our tamariki hear us,” Maipi-Clarke said.
“Because if they don’t hear us, they’re hearing negative impacts from the government, from people who continue to suppress us.”
She said it’s both fortunate and unfortunate for Māori have to be louder so the children can hear and remind themselves to be proud to be Māori and be comfortable in their skin.
Maipi-Clarke also said humbly Māori politics and Māori rights are leading the way. While challenging racism and advancing the socio-political causes for Māori people, the indigenous world is watching.
Louis Davis (Ngāpuhi) is one of the most followed Māori creators on TikTok - he told Ohinga they bring in 200 million views a month.
He said the world loves Māori because we’re amazing storytellers.
“One of the greatest gifts I’ve been given by being a content creator is I’ve been able to leave my corporate job, move back to my whenua, be around my whanau, raise my kids the way I was raised in Te Tai Tokerau,” Davis said.
Davis’ said although it sounds arrogant, when he first started making videos he thought he was going to be really good at it. His confidence comes from having amazing parents who always loved and believed in him.
A video with his daughter has gained 97 million views and Davis said his ‘life mission’ is to ‘wash away’ the stereotypes on Māori fathers and to continue on the path of telling the beautiful story about loving his family. To show people Māori dad’s aren’t Jake the Muss, or a warrior, or an All Black, or the aggressive-protector-provider.
“It’s that we’re loving, playful, affectionate with our kids. Great dads. Great husbands,” he said.