Derek Fox

Derek Tini Fox born in Te Wairoa in 1947, is a descendent of Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakaipaaka and Ngāti Porou. He was raised by his grandparents in Mahia and surrounding areas of Tawapata and Onenui, the whenua of his grandfather. It was here he gained his early childhood education. After the death of his grandfather, he returned to Ruatorea where his parents resided. He attended Manutahi School in Ruatorea before moving on to Ngata Memorial College. Fox then attended St Stephens College in Auckland seeking more opportunities. Following his high school years, Fox spent a year at Auckland University before moving to Victoria University in Wellington with the hope of seeking work as a broadcaster. Residing in Wellington was the beginning of his career as a journalist at the Wellington Newsroom.

Now equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge, Fox began a professional career in the television and radio industry, which at the time, only involved a handful of Māori. At the time the industry was entirely emersed in English, focusing only on mainstream interests with no involvement of Māori. Fox started in the field in 1967 and worked his way up the ranks to become a senior reporter for TV2, which was known as South Pacific Television.  His new position gave him the opportunity to travel abroad, corresponding news back to Aotearoa from across the world.

Noting the evident lack of incorporation of te ao Māori within Aotearoa’s broadcasting environment, Fox was approached by a Senior Manager to prepare and present news broadcasts in te reo Māori for the period of Te wiki o e reo Māori. Its subsequent success gave Fox the opportunity to produce a Māori News Programme to report Māori affairs, which would air from Monday to Friday, thus Te Karere was born.

With the help of Whai Ngata, who was also a broadcaster and key figure in the revitalisation of Māori language and culture, they established Te Karere and called upon other Māori in the industry to drive the project during its incipient years. Fox sort to retire after dedicating more than 20 years to the industry in various broadcasting roles. However, he continued working in journalism and broadcasting being a founder of Mana Māori Media and Mana Magazine. Coming into the 1980’s the main objective for Māori in the industry was to encourage rangatahi Māori to further their careers in broadcasting and the like. During this time, Fox continued to foster the wave of upcoming Māori eager to enter the industry, many of whom went on to have successful careers in different areas such as television, radio, news and more. Despite facing difficulties in establishing a Māori television station, Fox was determined to see it through, as he believed that, under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori were obligated to such resources. Eventually Fox was approached to chair the committee for the Māori Television Service. With the hope to accelerate the advancement of young Māori going into the industry. Witnessing firsthand the lack of acknowledgement and involvement of Māori in mainstream media, Fox was determined to see change and successfully established a Māori Television Station and Iwi Radio Stations.

In 1996, Fox was involved in the establishment of Toi Māori Aotearoa, a Charitable Trust which emerged from the need for a collective Māori artists’ forum to foster the development of Māori art and support the national Māori art form committees. He became an original Kaitiaki/Trustee for Toi Māori Aotearoa, amongst some of the most prolific leaders of Māori, such as Dr Hirini Moko-Mead, Emily Schuster, Dame Georgina Kirby, Trevor Maxwell, and Prof. Timoti Karetu. Together, the original trustees developed a strategic plan for the organisation with the following objectives:

• To ensure that Māori art in all its forms continues to flourish as one of the great art traditions of the world.
• To maintain, develop and promote Māori art as an essential element of Māori culture and the culture of Aotearoa.
• Assist in maintaining the integrity of Māori art and culture so that its distinctive features and wairua (spirit) are not sacrificed.

Soon after he returned to Mahia and stood successfully as a candidate for the Wairoa District Council, eager to improve the circumstances of Māori in the area. He jumped at the vacant Wairoa mayor position, seeing it as an opportunity to further social change, and held the position for 6 years. At the end of his last term as Mayor of Wairoa he was approached by local kaumātua to run for the Ikaroa-Rawhiti seat to represent the people in Parliament. Yet, Fox had become wary of affiliating with political parties that seemed to lack a sincere concern for Māori interests. As a result, he ran as an independent in 1999 and again in 2008 with the Māori party. Fox continuously campaigned for all Māori in Parliament to unite and stand to service the interests of Māori. After returning home to Mahia in 2013, Fox continued to encourage Māori to stand in council elections, guiding them through and persistently emphasising the importance of togetherness and standing as one to advocate for the needs and concerns of Māori.

Derek Fox has been instrumental in the establishment of Māori presence in the television and radio industry and the development of Māori in media, advocating for Māori for over 50 years as a broadcaster, journalists, and politician. He stood against the under-representation of Māori in mainstream media and endeavoured to increase broadcasting of Te Reo and other aspects of te ao Māori throughout the nation, paving a path for future generations of Māori in media to carry on his legacy.