Toitū!
Ko te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero.
He toi tonu te reo Māori e tika ana kia whakamānawatia, kia whakanuia hoki. Kua eke te arohia o te reo Māori ki te tihi – he tokomaha rawa ngā tauira nō ngā pakeketanga katoa, nō ngā horopaki katoa, e tatari ana kia wātea mai he tūru i ngā karaehe; e whakaputahia ana anō he waiata rongonui ki te reo; e whakamāoritia ana he kiriata; e piki ana anō hoki te nui o ngā pukapuka e tāngia ana ki te reo.
Ki Toitū! whakahuihuia ai tētehi kāhui manukura nō te ao Māori kua whakaatu i ō rātou hiringa, i ō rātou tōngakingaki ki te whakarauoratanga, ki te ukauka, ki te whanaketanga hoki o te reo Māori. Ka noho ā rātou kōrero mō ō rātou wheako hei matapihi ki te ara e tū ai te tangata hei mumu reo i tēnei ao nei, i ēnei wā pāhekeheke.
Nō tātou te waimarie nui i te whai wāhitanga mai o tēnei kāhui mātanga reo, kua whakapau rā i ō rātou kaha i roto i ngā tau e pakari tonu ake ai te reo taketake o Aotearoa. Ka whakapākehātia ngā kōrero a te kāhui i taua wā tonu, ā, e wātea ana ētehi taputapu ki tētehi hunga whāiti e mārama ai te kaiwhakarongo ki te rere o te kōrero.
Ā mohoa noa nei, oreore kau ana te ao whakanui i te reo Māori. I te tau 2022, i whakanuia te huringa tau 50 mai anō i te whakatakotoranga o te petihana i tono rā kia whai mana ā-ture te reo Māori, ki ngā arawhata o te Whare Mīere. Nō te tau 2022 whakanuia anō ai ko te hokoruatanga o Te Kōhanga Reo, otirā o taua waka whakarauora i te reo hei painga ngātahi mō te tamariki me te kaumātua anō hoki. Kia hūpeke mai ki tēnei wā nei - kua tautokona e te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga te tukunga o Te Ahu o te Reo Māori ki ngā tōpito o te motu, e whakaakona ai te reo ki ngā kaiako me ngā kaimahi o te rāngai mātauranga, waihoki, nō Pēpuere o tēnei tau i whakanuia ai te 50 tau o Te Matatini.
E oke tonu ana te iwi, ā, mō ērā e takahi ana i te ara ako i te reo Māori, he wā tēnei e rangona ai te mana nui o te māia, o te kaha, o te manawa kuaka, o te ngākau titikaha anō hoki.
Kua whakaaturia e Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki tana kaha ki te hāpai i te reo Māori, i runga i te ngākau whakapuke, i tana tuku hōtaka i raro i te maru o Toitū Te Reo, o tētehi wāhanga o Tuia Te Muka Kōrero. Ka ārahi tēnei rautaki i tō mātou haepapa ki te whakaū i te mana o te ao Māori, e wāhi wāhi nei ko te tukunga o ngā hōtaka reo Māori, ko te whakanui i te reo Māori hei taonga, hei wāhanga whakahirahira hoki e rere māori ana i ō tātou ao i Tāmaki Makaurau nei.
An art form in and of itself, the Māori language is cause for appreciation and celebration. Interest in te reo Māori is at an all-time high – wait lists for classes are oversubscribed by learners from all ages and backgrounds, wellknown songs are being re-released in te reo, movies are being translated into Māori, and the number of books published in te reo is on the rise.
Toitū! brings together this panel of leaders from te ao Māori who have demonstrated determination and commitment to the revitalisation, endurance and growth of te reo Māori. Their stories of lived experience will give us a snapshot into what it takes to be a language warrior in this day and age, during these uncertain times.
We are extremely fortunate to have a panel made up of recognised experts in te reo, who have dedicated their time and energy to ensuring the ongoing strengthening of the indigenous language of Aotearoa. Alongside the panel, we have the opportunity for a limited number of audience members to listen to te reo Māori translated live and in real time to foster understanding and growth.
This has been a very busy time for celebrations of te reo Māori. 2022 saw the 50th anniversary of the petition to make te reo Māori an official language laid on the steps of the Beehive and 40 years since the inception of Te Kōhanga Reo, creating a new language movement for tamariki and kaumātua alike. Fast forward to current times – the Mnistry of Education has supported the roll out of Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori, teaching te reo to teachers and in February this year, Aotearoa celebrated 50 years of Te Matatini.
The struggle for the survival of te reo Māori continues and for those students embarking on a te reo journey, this is a time when courage, strength, tenacity and commitment come to the fore.
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki | Auckland Arts
Festival has been proud to demonstrate our commitment to te reo Māori through the delivery of programmes under Toitū Te Reo, a component of Tuia Te Muka Kōrero, the Auckland Festival Trust’s Māori Strategy. This strategy guides our responsibility to uphold the mana of te ao Māori which includes the delivery of te reo Māori programmes, acknowledging the Māori language as a treasure, and as an integral and normalised part of our everyday lives here in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Real-time English translations of Māori spoken will be provided via headsets for those that require assistance
2hrs 30mins inc interval Nau mai koutou ki tēnei huinga kōrero o Toitū! Mauri ora!SIR TĪMOTI KĀRETU
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tūhoe
E hau nei ngā rongo o Tā Tīmoti Kāretu huri noa i te ao mō ana mahi whakarauora reo, ahurea anō hoki. Ko ōna iwi ko Ngāi Tūhoe me Ngāti Kahungunu. Kua neke atu i te 60 tau a Tīmoti e pakanga ana kia mau te reo i ōhākītia mai nei e ngā tīpuna.
Sir Tīmoti Kāretu is renown globally for his language & cultural revitalisation expertise. He hails from Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Kahungunu. Tīmoti has worked tirelessly for over six decades to ensure the survival of the language bequeathed by our ancestors.
PROFESSOR RAWINIA HIGGINS
Tūhoe
E hia nei ngā pōtae o Ahorangi Rawinia Higgins o Tūhoe. Ko ia te Tumu Ahurei o Te Herenga Waka ā, he mema o te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi, Te Pēke Matua, ā, ko ia hoki te Toihau o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
Professor Rawinia Higgins (Tūhoe) is the Deputy ViceChancellor Māori at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Professor Higgins is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal, a Board member of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and the current Chair and Commissioner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – The Māori Language Commission.
PĀNIA PAPA
Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta
Kua neke atu i te toru tekau tau tā tēnei mumu reo whakapau kaha ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori, mā roto mai i te whakaako, i te waihanga rauemi, i te tito waiata, i te whakaputa hōtaka pouaka whakaata, ka mutu, nō te tau 2019 i whakanuia ai ēnei mahi āna i ngā tohu Matariki o Te Ao Māori. I whai wāhi a Pānia Papa ki ngā whakaritenga e tū ai te whare makatea o Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, hei huruhuru mō ngā waewae o tana ihopūmanawa, o Tā Tīmoti Kāretu, nāwai ka tū hei kaiako i roto i taua kaupapa. Kua rua tekau tau a Pānia e mahi ana i te ao pakihi hei tumu mō Takatū Associates Ltd, e arotahi nei ki te whakapakari i te reo o ngā kaiako me ngā kaimahi puta i te rāngai mātauranga i ngā rohe o Tāmaki me Te Whanganui a Tara. E kore e mutu ngā mahi whakarauora reo a tēnei uri hei painga mō te hunga e tapatahi ana te ngākaunui ki te reo Māori.
A professional career, spanning three decades, dedicated to the revitalisation of te reo Māori through teaching, programme and resource development, composition and television production was honoured in 2019 where Pānia Papa won the Te Waitī Award for Te Reo and Tikanga at the annual Te Ao Māori Matariki Awards. Pānia was involved in the establishment of the first Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language – Te Panekiretanga o te Reo and went on to become one of its tutors. As Director of Takatū Associates Ltd, Pānia and her team strive to continually innovate in the Māori language education and multimedia production space with a current focus on the te reo Māori development of thousands of teachers in Auckland and Wellington, through the Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori programme. The journey of language revitalisation is ongoing for Pānia, with a commitment to developing those who share her love of the language.
PETER-LUCAS JONES
Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu
Ko Peter-Lucas Jones (Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu) te tumuaki o Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika (Te Hiku Media). Ko ia hoki te Heamana o Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori, me te Heamana o Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri.
He kaitiaki raraunga reo irirangi hoki ia, ā, ka whiriwhiria te kawenga o ēnā raraunga reo Māori hei whakaako i te rorohiko ki te kōrero Māori. Koni atu i te 20 tau a Peter-Lucas e mahi ana ki ngā kaumātua o Te Hiku o Te Ika, ki te kohi kōrero tuku iho me ngā āhuatanga ake o te reo kōrero. Nā runga i ēnei mahi kua puta te raihana raraunga a Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika.
HĒMI KELLY
Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whāoa
He kaiako reo Māori, he kaituhi, he kaiwhakawhiti reo a Hēmi Kelly (he uri ia nō Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tahu me Ngāti Whāoa). Nāna i tuhi ngā pukapuka o A Māori Word A Day me A Māori Phrase A Day. Nāna i whakamāori te pakimaero poto o Sleeps Standing nā Witi Ihimaera, te pakimaero o The Alchemist nā Paulo Coelho me te whakaari o Translations nā Brian Friel. Ko Hēmi te kaiwhakahaere o Tautika Ltd, he pakihi reo Māori tēnei e mahi tahi ana me ētahi whakahaere ki te waihanga, te whakahaere me te whakatinana i ētahi mahere ako i te reo Māori. Ko ia te kaiwaihanga i ngā pae ako o Everyday Māori kei te ipurangi, tae atu ki te īpāho o Everyday Māori
Peter-Lucas (Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu) is the Chief Executive Officer of Te Hiku Media. He is Chairman of Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori (The Iwi Radio Network) and Chairman of Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri.
He is a kaitiaki of iwi radio data, and negotiates the responsibility of protecting data while leading the development of natural processing tools for te reo Māori. Peter-Lucas has 20 years of experience working with kaumātua to record and provide access to reo ā-iwi and kōrero tuku iho. This has informed the development of a Kaitiakitanga Data License of Te Hiku Media.
Hēmi Kelly (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whāoa) is a Māori language teacher, writer and licensed translator. He is the author of A Māori Word A Day and A Māori Phrase A Day. He is the translator of Witi Ihimaera’s novella Sleeps Standing, Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist and Brian Friel’s play Translations. Hēmi is the Director of Tautika Ltd, a Māori language consultancy that works with various organisations to create, facilitate and implement Māori language learning plans. He is the creator of the Everyday Māori online learning platforms, including the Everyday Māori podcast.
JEREMY TĀTERE MACLEOD
He huhua tonu ngā iwi o Jeremy Tātere MacLeod. Heoi, kei waenganui a ia i tana rahi o Ngāti Kahungunu e noho ana, e mahi ana anō hoki. Kua tekau mā toru tau a ia e ārahi ana i te rautaki whakarauora reo Māori a Ngāti Kahungunu. I pakeke mai a ia ki te reo Pākehā, ā, nōna ka pakeke ka ako i tana reo Māori.
RUTH SMITH
Ngāti Kōhuru, Te Aitanga-ā-Mahaki
Kaiwhakapākehā · Translator
I pakeke a Ruth Smith ki tōna kāenga, ki Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, ki Te Tairāwhiti. Kua roa a ia e mahi ana i te ao whakarauora i te reo Māori nō te tīmatanga o tana takahanga ngaio, ā, kua whai wāhi rā ki ngā ahumahi huhua, tae atu rā ki te rāngai mātauranga, pāpāho, toi me te torangapū.
I te tau 2021, i kopoua a Ruth hei kaiwhakawhiti reo – te wahine Māori tuatahi kua tū hei kaiwhakawhiti reo ā-waha – ki te Pāremata o Aotearoa, ki Pōneke. Kua āta whakangungua ēnei pūkenga mā te whakawhiti pukapuka, waiata, he aha atu, he aha atu.
Hei kaiwhakangungu hoki a Ruth ki te hunga e tūmanako ana kia whakawhiwhia ki te tohu Toi Reo Māori a Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori.
Jeremy Tātere MacLeod hails from various tribes. However, he lives and works amongst his Ngāti Kahungunu people in Hawke’s Bay. He has been leading the Ngāti Kahungunu Māori language revitalisation strategy for 13 years now. He was raised as a native English speaker and learnt Māori as an adult.
Ruth Smith was raised in her hometown of Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa on the East Coast. She has been involved with the revitalization of te reo Māori since the beginning of her professional career that spans several industries, including education, media and broadcasting, the arts and most recently politics.
In 2021, Ruth was the first wahine Māori to be appointed as an interpreter to the House at Parliament New Zealand in Wellington. Ruth honed these skills, using them through translating books, songs and much more.
Ruth’s passion for translating and interpreting has also lead her to teach and train perspective translators and interpreters through Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori’s translation and interpreting licensing, Te Toi Reo Māori.
