Mike McRoberts opens up about his journey with te reo Māori and getting first tā moko

Kiwi news anchor Mike McRoberts joined Brad and Estelle - who is filling in for Laura - to share his journey with te reo Māori and celebrate Māori Language Week.

The award-winning journalist and broadcaster told the drive show hosts all about his new documentary Kia Ora, Good Evening - which airs tonight on Three.

"The biggest thing for me was recognising that I needed it in my life," Mike says about how he began his journey discovering te reo, after growing up not being around the language much in Christchurch.

Showing his growing connection to the language in his documentary, Mike says he doesn’t hold anything back.

"It’s pretty raw, it’s honest and it’s real," Mike told Brad and Estelle. "The documentary is basically a slice of my te reo journey."

"And through this journey, I found my genuine and authentic self."

Mike also opened up about getting his first tā moko - a traditional Māori tattoo that tells the story of his life - which took about six hours for him to get done.

"Kia Ora, Good Evening follows the journey of Mike McRoberts as he attempts to reclaim a taonga that was lost to his whānau a generation ago - the ability to speak te reo Māori,” Three describes the doco.

"Mike's story is one of language loss, disconnection, trauma, reconnection and re-awakening. In this deeply personal documentary, we see Mike McRoberts and his whānau as we've never seen them before - unearthing the powerful story of connection, and what it means to be Māori in contemporary Aotearoa."

Kia ora, Good Evening, the documentary on Mike McRoberts' te reo Māori journey airs at 8:40pm on Three and ThreeNow tonight, September 13.

Listen to Mike McRoberts' full interview with Brad and Estelle above.

Mike McRoberts also spoke with Jono and Ben - listen to their interview below: