Tahu FM is the official radio station of Ngāi Tahu, the principal iwi of the South Island. It began in Christchurch as Te Reo Irirangi ki Ōtautahi on 6 February 1991, took the Tahu FM name in December 1997, and now broadcasts on 90.5 FM in Christchurch, 90.7 FM in Kaikōura, 95.0 FM in Dunedin, 99.6 FM in Invercargill and 89.1 FM in Timaru. Founded by Mahina Kaui and Tahu Stirling to protect and promote te reo Māori and Ngāi Tahutanga, it blends Māori language programming with urban music, and famously returned to air five days after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake as the city's Māori civil defence voice.
