NGAARDA AND WANGKI CELEBRATE NATIONAL WINS AT FIRST NATIONS MEDIA AWARDS
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
Two Western Australian First Nations media organisations have been recognised on the national stage, with Ngaarda Media and Wangki Yupurnanupurru Radio taking home major awards at the First Nations Media Awards in Gimuy, Cairns.
The awards were presented as part of First Nations Media Australia’s CONVERGE conference, bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasters, journalists and storytellers from across the country together to celebrate excellence in the sector.
Roebourne-based Ngaarda Media won the Best Training and Professional Development Award, recognising its work at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2027 and 2026.
For the past two years, Ngaarda has used the festival as an intensive training ground for its radio cadets, while collaborating with other First Nations media organisations including TEABBA and Ngarralinyi Radio.
The team delivers live radio broadcasts, artist interviews and digital content across the festival, as well as live-streaming the Aboriginal Showcase.
Ngaarda Media Chief Editor Tangiora Hinaki said receiving national recognition for the project was a proud moment for the organisation and its emerging broadcasters.
“I’m very proud to be recognised on this level,” Hinaki said.
“It inspires not only me, but my new staff, to continue on, because we’re going back again in January 2027.”
Long-time First Nations broadcaster and Ngaarda Media mentor Gerry Terati Lyons, known as G-Man, has played a major role in opening doors for First Nations broadcasters at Tamworth.
Speaking previously about the impact of taking young media workers to the festival, Lyons said the experience could stay with them well beyond the event itself.
“The experience of going to Tamworth changes you for the rest of your life.”
Hinaki said the national award was not an end point for Ngaarda, with the organisation now looking towards expanding its television and digital production capacity.
Plans include establishing a dedicated video production studio in Roebourne, which Hinaki described as a potential “factory of storytelling”.
“Imagine cooking shows, Play School in the Yindjibarndi language, music shows, Talk Back, Black Q&A — Ngaarda talking about politics that impact them,” she said.
“The sky’s the limit.”
Ngaarda is also exploring how artificial intelligence and emerging technology can safely support First Nations media production.
“We need to move with the times, stay on top of technology, so that we don’t get left behind,” Hinaki said.
The Kimberley was also strongly represented on awards night, with Wangki Yupurnanupurru Radio in Fitzroy Crossing winning the Organisational Excellence Award and ‘Best Feature Radio Documentary Podcst or Series Award - Danggujarra Remastered.
Wangki broadcaster Leon said receiving national recognition was particularly powerful coming from a small regional community.
“To be able to represent all of you, and to be part of this small organisation, it makes me very, very proud,” he said.
Leon, who described himself as a newcomer to the station, encouraged other community members who might be nervous about stepping behind the microphone to give First Nations media a go.
“Working at radio, working at home, has been a fantastic experience,” he said.
“If you have the opportunity to come and work in Indigenous media — do it. It’s an experience that you will not regret.”
Wangki Producer and editor Angelina Temporali produces for radio hosts Natalie Davey and Bullen Rogers.
“I was excited to represent Danggujarra and accept the award today. It’s really deserving or Natalie and Bullen, they are the heart and soul of Danggujarra. Ms Temporali said. The show is heart-felt , its funny and important. It’s one of our richest collections of the Walmajarri language.”
The three awards put both the Pilbara and Kimberley in the national spotlight and highlighted the continuing strength of community-controlled First Nations media in regional and remote Western Australia.
For Ngaarda and Wangki, the recognition also carries a bigger message, that some of the country’s most important First Nations stories, broadcasters and future media leaders are being developed far beyond the major cities.
Congratulations to Angelina Temporali, editor and producer for Natalie Davey and Bullen Rogers (Father and Daughter)