Coming up on Te Karere... King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII addresses the country. The township of Te Kuiti are mourning one of their own, Colin Meads. And we begin our election series special, Poti 2017. 21 August 2017 Due to the live nature of Te Karere, some segments will not be subtitled. Tena koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. The king has spoken, and he has been free and frank about his feelings for Maoridom and his political agenda. He has also given an update on his personal health in travelling overseas to get the best healthcare. Irena Smith has this report. The king's words of influence to the Maori people. While his sickness has taken a toll on his body, his mind is as sharp as ever. In his speech, he confirmed which side of the political fence he stands on. He is well and truly a supporter of the Maori Party and Maori initiatives that are designed to help improve life outcomes for Maori. The reason he supports the Maori Party is that he believes that Maori should be able to operate as Maori and not be tied to towing the party line. That's because those parties are run in accordance to non-Maori norms. But Rahui knows this is not going to be a walk in the park. There is a lot of responsibility for me attached to his support. Furthermore, no matter whether or not I am successful this year, I will be doing my best to make reality what he'd like to see. That's namely to improve the living circumstances of Maori so we can thrive. Labour's deputy leader says he is not concerned about the political leanings of the King. It's good to hear King Tuheitia supporting Labour's policies He talked about organ donations. I addressed that as a part of our Maori policy. He also spoke about prisons and as we know that is an important issue for me. In the conclusion of his address the King challenged the media to stop telling negative stories on kaupapa Maori like Kohanga Reo. Politics has become a lively issue for the Kingitanga. In the upcoming weeks we'll find out who is following what he is saying. Irena Smith, Te Karere. The family of renowned Ngati Maniapoto weaver Diggeress Te Kanawa have paid a special tribute to former All Black great Sir Colin Meads after he lost his battle to pancreatic cancer at the weekend. Kahutoi Te Kanawa spoke to Te Karere about the meaning of a special kakahu that is now laid on the statue of Meads in the Te Kuiti township. Ripeka Timutimu reports. A sign of love and respect for the great Colin Meads. This cloak was made by Te Kanawa's grandmother, Rangimarie Hetet and then fixed up by my mother, Diggeress Te Kanawa. Making his debut in 1951, Meads played 133 games in his 15 year All Black career. Former All Black Bryan Williams says he was a legend. Outside of his rugby career, Meads was also a farmer in Te Kuiti raising five children with his wife Lady Verna. And tributes continue to flow for 'Pinetree' today. His funeral will be held next Monday at the Les Munroe Centre in Te Kuiti. Ripeka Timutimu, Te Karere. While National says they would invest $10 billion in upgrading national highways with Labour pledging $20 million towards public transport, the Greens say they would make buses and trains free for people under 19 years old - including students. Here's our political reporter Eruera Rerekura. National, Labour and the Greens are on the road just like their policies. But this is the announcement that tertiary students have been waiting a long time to hear: It appears the Greens have answered the student's prayers. These were their concerns in April: Public transport should be free. But National is more focused on national highways. The question is: Which party is on the right road? Eruera Rerekura, Te Karere. After the break, a prominent Auckland High School has implemented te reo Maori for its first time with a statement "its compulsory for all year nines". A prominent Auckland high school has implemented te reo Maori for its first time with a statement "it's compulsory for all year nines". This is ahead of the school's first te reo Maori teacher in history. As Te Okiwa McLean reports as of 2018 te reo Maori will be compulsory right across the board. A language which will soon be echoing off the walls of this school. We've planted the seed of te reo Maori for our students so they can learn it. The subject of te reo Maori is currently only compulsory for year 9 students but next year that will extend to the whole school. All students must learn. Everyone in NZ must learn as research proves that it is much easier to learn te reo Maori when one's young and if i had the decision I'd make it compulsory in primary schools to plant the seed in every primary school in the country. The school was established in 1869 and there are more than 2000 boys at the school. And in recent years Neitana Lobb was appointed the very first te reo Maori teacher here in history. I am currently the only reo teacher at this stage but in years to come the aim is to appoint more te reo teachers to grow this kaupapa in the school. This North Aucklander has schooled here for the past five years. He is extremely proud that his native language is going has finally been implemented in his school curriculum. In my childhood my parents sent me to kura kaupapa and kohanga reo. So when I attended this school I was a bit confused that they did not offer te reo Maori here so it has been great having Matua Neitana or Mr Lobb here teaching us te reo, it means a lot to us. Furthermore, it has been a challenging journey. Having to start from scratch is challenging, finding resources etc as we haven't yet had exams at our school so the biggest challenge would be preparing and bringing them out of that beginning stage as it is a new subject here at the school. It's about getting the language right, getting it to flow, getting it to be authetntic and giving it status. Te Okiwa McLean, Te Karere. Tumamao Harawira is here to talk sports. We're unable to provide subtitles. Tumamao Harawira, thank you. After the break, we bring you the first report in our special election coverage series. Today we begin with the Far North. And we have the weather. To the weather now. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz. Today we start our special Poti17 election series where we've assigned a different reporter to each of the seven Maori seats where we'll touch base with the major players and canvas issues pertaining to each of the electorates. While the race for Te Tai Tokerau is heating up between comeback kings, the Labour Party's Deputy Kelvin Davis and Mana leader Hone Harawira, reporter Harata Brown headed north to find more about the people of Te Tai Tokerau and some of the major issues they're facing. We're unable to provide subtitles. Harata Brown, Te Karere. That's all we have for today. Kia ora tatou katoa. Captions were made possible with funding from Te Mangai Paho. Copyright TVNZ 2017.