A search of the Apples iTunes store found the TangataWhenua.com Maori News app at the top of the What’s Hot category (News apps), surprising our small digital whanau and offering encouraging signs for the new year.

“We launched the Maori News app in time for Christmas” said Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, Creative Director for TangataWhenua.com “and to see that the Maori News app was selected in the top spot of the Apple iTunes What’s Hot category, suggesting that our app brings something unique to the mobile market and something cool to your iPhone.”

“The Maori News app gives a mobile view to our living culture” spoke Potaua Biasiny-Tule, Managing Director TangataWhenua.com. “Maori love to share panui, to hear the latest news, to read opinions on a wide variety of indigenous issues and the Maori news app helps to access all that information, all that digital korero, direct to your Apple device.”

“Our team has started work on developing the Maori News app specifically for the iPad and Android phones, hoping to reach more mobile whanau and look forward to supporting the growth of the Maori News app v2 – so this news, this nod, this entire project counts as simply amazing.”

“What’s Hot” apps are hand-picked by the editors at iTunes. First, New & Noteworthy apps are nominated by individual app reviewers. Then each week a committee of reviewers meet to choose which apps are featured out of the nominated apps. Once an app is featured on New & Noteworthy and downloads and reviews are both positive, the app will get placed in the What’s Hot section the following week.

Ultimately, what we can conclude from a read of several iPhone SDK Developers forums is that what it takes is a certain, “”je ne sais quoi” to be chosen for the “What’s Hot” category.

“Though it took a while to get here, we can’t wait to find new ways to empower whanau, inform communities and increase the number of Maori working in the ICT industry.”

Click here to check the app out on iTunes