Maori Language Week 2022

Te reo in action at REAP

REAP Wairarapa supports lifelong learning in the community and at the heart of their courses is te reo M˜ori in action.

Not just limited to language classes, the REAP team o° ers an array of interesting courses, classes and events including the very popular Raranga Harakeke (˛ ax weaving) and Toi Whatu (Whatu is the main technique used to weave kakahu cloaks).

These courses cover not only the basics of weaving, but the Tikanga (protocols) around harvesting. A popular course is Te Ataarangi - where cusinaire rods are used to help cement language development.

Recently REAP Wairarapa held a Porotakataka course on Saturday afternoons. Porotakataka is a style of

circular knitting, students could converse and learn in te reo M˜ori.

A great collaboration happened with our friends at Puk˜ha Mt Bruce, where two workshops were held for Matariki celebrations. Community members learned how to make manutukutuku(traditional M˜ori kites) and another session had more experienced members gathered to weave and collaborate.

In Pahiatua, there is a weekly community Waiata M˜ori class to stretch the vocal chords and learn the meaning behind waiata, while increasing ability to correctly pronounce te reo M˜ori. And to help with sharing knowledge among our expectant mothers, wananga is held for hap˝ m˜m˜ with

a qualiÿ ed M˜ori midwife to teach traditional ways of birthing and whenua.

Wahakura wananga are held to help create hand-woven sleep spaces for pˆpi made out of harakeke. A wahakura is the ÿ rst kaupapa M˜ori safesleeping device.

To help people practise their reo, a weekly event called Koreoreo started online during lockdown, but it’s now evolved in a great community class where people can take what they’ve learned and build on their knowledge of te reo M˜ori.

REAP Wairarapa has classes and events happening throughout the year. To learn more head over to www.reapwairarapa.nz or pop into 340 Queen Street, Masterton.

THEME: Kia kaha te reo M˜ori

to protect te reo and teach it in schools, was presented to Parliament.

That day, 14 September became M˜ori Language Day and later M˜ori Language

Week. For the past two years at the moment the petition was presented - noon on the 14 September - more than one million New Zealanders have stopped to celebrate the M˜ori Language Moment.

M˜ ORI LANGUAGE WEEK 2022

Arohanui Marae

Wairarapa Film Festival (Waifilmfest) is heading to South Wairarapa to present its Spring Programme at Circus Cinema, Restaurant & Bar in Martinborough.

The Spring Programme will screen at 4pm on Sunday 18 September at Circus Cinema. Festival Director Jane Ross has curated a double-bill screening of NZ film that also celebrates the work of local musician and music composer Warren Maxwell.

Award-winning short film Night Shift (2012) and feature film The Pā Boys (2014) will screen together with an opportunity for the audience to particpate in a Film Talk post-screening.

Special guest Warren Maxwell will introduce the films and chat with the audience about his eperiences as the composer for both films.

Ross says that for 2022, festival programming has focused on local film, film and music, and rangatahi engagement with film and filmmaking.

“This year we have offered Rangatahi Filmmaking Workshops in schools across Wairarapa. I really want to encourage and support our local emerging filmmakers. I’m really keen to screen student films in our cinemas and event centres.”

The Masterton Autumn Programme included a special screening of Swagger of Thieves; a music documentary about Wellington band Head Like a Hole.

The notorious 90s band was founded by two former students of Rathkeale College.

The Director, Julian Boshier, attended both Makoura and Kuranui college. The Wairarapa connections to this film were quite intense.

The Carterton Winter programme included films that shared the same music composer, William Phillipson, who also co-presented an informative filmmaking workshop for the local community.

When I was considering the

programming for the Martinborough Spring programme I had my heart set on including films that Warren had worked as the music composer. I was so happy when he agreed to be my special guest.

“I’m also really proud to present and revisit the The Pā Boys, during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

The New Zealand Film Commission describes it as “an energetic, uplifting road movie capturing the best of New Zealand’s culture, beauty, talent and music, while exploring themes of identity, friendship and discovering your roots.

“I’m really looking forward to talking to Warren and with the audience around these themes.”

E whakahīhī ana mātou te hui taurima kiriata o Wairarapa hei tautoko i te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

Wairarapa Film festival is proud to support te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

The Pā Boys: Courtesy of the New Zealand Film Commission

35 years since te reo became an official language of New Zealand

Monday 1August marked 35 years since Te Reo Māori became an official language in its own country.

The Māori Language Act came into force on 1 August 1987. But the battle for its survival has yet to be won, says the Māori Language Commission.

“The battle for te reo Māori has been fought in communities across Aotearoa, from our smallest towns to our biggest cities,” says Professor Rawinia Higgins, Māori Language Commissioner.

“In 1987 some warned that making te reo an official language would divide New Zealanders but 35 years later, te reo is something that unites us.

“From the one million people who joined us for our Māori Language Moments, to the thousands singing our anthem in te reo at All Black tests and the hundreds taking part in total immersion kura reo every weekend, te reo is part of our national identity as New Zealanders and connects us all to this place we call home.

For Māori New Zealanders, te reo is an integral part of our identity. It tells the story of our families and links us forever to our ancestors and to Aotearoa. The battle for its survival is part of the story of every Māori family.”

August 1 also marked the 35th birthday of the Māori Language Commission, which opened its doors when the Māori Language Act became law.

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Almost 1 in 4 Māori New Zealanders now speak te reo as a first language, while 34 per cent of Māori New Zealanders can speak te reo fairly well.

The commission is launching a campaign calling for New Zealanders to start capturing the many stories of the battle for te reo Māori, to ensure that the language’s journey will be told and understood in years to come.

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Young New Zealanders are leading the way in te reo proficiency, with around 40 per cent of those aged 15-34 able to speak more than a few words or phrases.

 3 in 5 New Zealanders think te reo should be a core subject in primary schools.

“But the battle is not over. We need one million speakers of te reo by 2040 to safeguard our language for future generations. Those babies born today will be the first adult generation of speakers in 2040 - the countdown is on.”

“We want to ensure that families and communities capture te reo stories that matter to them.

“Whether people want to share them publicly is up to them. The main thing is that they are captured so that future generations can understand why and how our people fought for the survival of te reo Māori.

“In the next month we will launch a timeline and website for people to share their stories of our battle for te reo Māori. Keep an eye out for it!”

Professor Higgins says Stats NZ data released last month revealed some exciting developments:

Fernridge School students performing a waiata

Giving back through te reo

Te Ataahia Hurihanganui grew up acquiring Te Reo Māori in the early 1990s thanks to the ground-breaking efforts of a generation of Wairarapa Māori who wanted to see the language and culture return to the region and flourish again.

Now, Te Ataahia (also known by her family nickname Taahia), is making her own contribution through her company Reo Rua Ltd, providing services in Māori language education, training, and cultural advisory/consultancy in Wairarapa, Wellington and online.

Taahia’s father John Hurihanganui was one of the leading figures in this cultural renaissance.

“The work continued by Dad with the leadership and guidance of the late Uncle Kuki and Uncle Jim Rimene, and Nanny Ngaro through the iwi and at Wairarapa Polytechnic, now UCOL, back in the late 1980s was a significant start to the revitalisation of te reo Māori in Wairarapa.

“I was hugely influenced by Ngāti Hāmua Kōhanga Reo and my early learning years where my Kōhanga Nannies and my own Māmā looked after me and nurtured my cultural identity.

“I was then fortunate enough to attend ‘Te Kura o Rawhiti’, the total-immersion Reo classrooms at East School in the 1990s.”

After living in Wellington, Costa Rica and then Rome, Taahia returned to Masterton with her husband Davide and

their two young children four years ago to be close to her extended whānau and her ancestral lands.

She sees Reo Rua as her way of giving back to the community that raised her in Te Reo and Te Ao Māori.

She is a passionate linguist who has been teaching not only Te Reo Māori, but also English as a Foreign Language, Italian and Spanish for the past 13 years, both locally and overseas, with a strong focus in adult education and professional development for the past ten years.

Her list of achievements includes developing the Reo Māori curriculum for one of New Zealand’s largest Community Education Centres in Wellington, and completing the Reo Māori curriculum for the groundbreaking Rangitāne iwi initiative – Poua Reo back in 2019 – which targeted kaumātua and allowed them the opportunity to reconnect with their heritage and language.

She has consulted on major projects for NZ On Air, the Tertiary Education Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Read NZ (formerly: NZ Book Council) to name a few.

One of the striking features of the services offered by Reo Rua is how diverse they are.

At one end is the teaching of beginners Te Reo (language) and Te Ao Māori (culture) and exploring how these can

be integrated into daily life.

At the other end are specialised workshops such as ‘How to Hui’ – an online workshop on how to hold a workplace hui and the different processes involved, including karakia, kaikōhau, mihi/mihimihi, whakatau and pōwhiri.

Reo Rua also offers a range of advisory, consultancy and resource services.

To find out more about what Reo Rua Ltd. has to offer, contact Te Ataahia (Taahia) at taahia@reorua.com or through her website: www.reorua.co.nz

Proud to support Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

Kia ora from Masterton District Council!

We have created a week long calendar of events to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori; with our kaimahi (staff) and with our community.

Our working week will begin with karakia and waiata, hosted at Masterton District Library. It will be open to all our kaimahi.

It’s an important week for us to connect with teams from across our different organisations, which includes kaimahi from our Queen Street office, Waiata House, Hood Aerodrome, the Water Treatment Plant, Wairarapa Archive, and Masterton District Library.

Shared kai (food) will feature throughout our week. We will participate in the Māori Language Moment at noon on Monday 12 September and celebrate with shared kai.

Our kaimahi have also been issued a wero (challenge) to show how we celebrate Reo Māori within our teams.

Each team has planned a fun, creative and inclusive celebration that combines with shared kai – with extra points for creativity up for grabs!

We will also ‘bring a plate’ and have shared kai on Friday 18 September in our lunch break and participate in a Reo Māori Kahoot! Quiz. It will be competitive!

There are a great range of resources available on the dedicated Reo Māori website, adminstered by te Taura Whiri i te Māori, the Māori Language Commission.

One of the pages is called ‘Learn Your Mihi’. Check it out! Here you will find a tool that can help you introduce yourself in te reo Māori.

All our kaimahi will be given the resources to learn how to mihi. You can also access this tool on the Reo Māori website: https://www.reomaori.co.nz/ learn-your-mihi

Keep an eye on our social media pages throughout the week. We have a range of free, fun and whānau-friendly events happening at different locations in Whakaoriori, Masterton. Wairarapa Archive and Masterton District Council will be promoting some of our Archive resources in te reo.

Masterton District Library is offering regular story times in te reo Māori, a free movie screening, and a free disco for tamariki. There is so much more on offer.

We’re really looking forward to celebrating with you. Kia kaha te reo Māori. Let’s make the Māori language strong.

E whakahīhī ana mātou Te Kaunihera ā-rohe o Wairarapa hei tautoko i te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

Masterton District Council is proud to support Māori Language Week.

THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER

STORY TIME IN REO MĀORI

Masterton District Library will present their regular story times in Te Reo Māori.

10.30 to 11.30am - Children’s Library Space

THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER

PŌ KANIKANI DISCO

Masterton District Library is hosting a Kid’s Disco, with music in te Reo Māori.

4.30 to 6pm - Children’s Library Space

FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

MOANA REO MĀORI

Masterton District Library will host a free screening of Moana Reo Māori.

3:30 to 5:30pm - Children’s Library Space

SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

POI E: THE STORY OF OUR SONG

WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER

MĀORI LANGUAGE MOMENT

Take part in the Māori Language Moment, including Kapa Haka and a Sausage Sizzle.

WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER

STORY TIME IN TE REO MĀORI

Masterton District Library will present their regular story times in te Reo Māori.

The Screening Room will host a free screening of Poi E: The Story of Our Song. Tickets are limited to 60 seats so make a reservation today!

10.30 to 11.30am - Children’s Library Space Keep an

12 to 1pm - Library Square

3:30pm to 5:30pm - The Screening Room

A photograph of a Maori woman in Masterton taken around 1880 by Masterton photographer TE Price. Wairarapa Archive will be promoting some of its archive resources in te reo.

E whakahīhī ana mātou Te Kaunihera ā-rohe o Wairarapa hei tautoko i te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Masterton District Council is proud to support Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Kia ora! Please join us throughout the week for our community celebrations.