What the Actual?! 29.06.23

Kahumako Rameka and Mihingārangi Satele are creating news for the next generation.

They're the team behind What The Actual, a brand delivering young Kiwis the big stories of the day through relatable, credible, authentic storytelling. What The Actual may only be early on in its journey, but even in the noisy world of social media - its clear this kaupapa is headed in the right direction.

Mihingārangi Satele:

Kia Ora, nice to meet u my name's Mihi. I grew up between Wellington, Ōpōtiki and Rotorua. RUBY asked me to chat with you guys in case you need a break from shopping for their stuff. So I'll introduce myself first x

My full name is Mihingārangi Satele :)) that's cause my mum's Māori and my dad's Samoan. I have two little brothers. Tiaho (4) - who has a mullet and Māia (😎 - he's in his Justin Bieber hair era atm.

I have an older brother as well, Kelin (23) We're one year apart. He's traversing the great ocean of the school of medicine and will probably save the world one day, but not without a "quick" game of League of Legends first hahah i love all my family xx

It's currently Wednesday evening, on 21 June 2023. I'm 22 years, 5 months and 14 days old hehe and if you asked me what I'm passionate about and what I believe is possible? Firstly I'd say that just about anything is possible with a good sleep, a dream, yum mashed potatoes and a little bit of hard work. With a strong dose of patience and a forgiving support system.

At this stage in my life I'm passionate about digital storytelling and using images+text+sound+video+audio to convey a story. I'm also interested in capturing real moments for myself and elevating those into something fun. In my head, I'd say atm my editing style is cheeky and detailed but I'd like it to be more organic and simple.

I'd love to keep creating for a living. I look at the work that I do now as an extension of my creativity.

The main goal of our platform with the NZ Herald called WhatTheActual is to keep rangatahi in the loop with what's happening in the news. We cover all colours. One love.

As we know quality time is the universal love language so we like to keep our content short and snappy too. Usually under 1-minute. We're interesting, smart, funny & reliable too x

The old you would've followed us @whattheactual.

RUBY asked me as well what changes I'd like to see made in the journalism industry which I defo feel under qualified to answer.

I’m still warming up to the world of media, but I will say that we need more diverse identities to represent our communities. This is something the New Zealand media industry is working on, through initiatives like the Te Rito Journalism Project.

Anyway it was so nice to meet you, I'm off to pour me a vodka sprite hehe. You look lovely today btw byyyeee love u xx

Kahumako Rameka:

I’m Mako, I’m from Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rangitihi and Ngāti Mahuta, and I’m a youth news specialist at the roooyal NZ Herald 👑.

I’m passionate about my people and my home 🏔️ In the field I’m currently in, serving them through story-telling/article writing/content creating has been so fulfilling because my people are often underrepresented in media.

So being able to rep my whānau in a way that I’m proud of, on platforms like the Herald, like @whattheactual, is preeetty mean, and it's a change. that's been a long time coming.

I love telling stories through art, pictures, sound, and words. Introducing this way of storytelling to an identity like the Herald, presented by indigenous rangatahi is a new change and it's thriving! I believe that we ARE the change, and it's finally here! This is only the start, and we. have so much more stories to tell, space to fill, and magic to create! ✨

Written by Mihigārangi & Kahumako.

Click the social links below to view What the Actual.

Instagram / TikTok / YouTube