Story of discovery in digital media

CHILDHOOD RECOLLECTIONS: Ngai Tamanuhiri elders Taha Brown, left, and Temepara Isaacs recall a story from their childhood of when they found the Horouta waka half-submerged in the sea. Picture video from He Putanga no Uki

A 70-year-old story of the Ngai Tamanuhiri people and their ancestral Horouta waka has been brought to digital life as an educational resource for children and the community.

An electronic-book and short film documentary depicts the story, He Putanga No Uki, set in the early 1940s, of a group of young primary-age children discovering a waka half-submerged in the sea.

Targeted at te reo Maori learners of 9-11 years, the story is part of the first new te reo Maori curriculum resources and was designed through the Te Aho Ngarahu fund — a collaboration with communities, Core Education and The Ministry of Education.

Central to the story are kaumatua who shared their childhood recollections of the event. The two elders who feature in the short documentary are Temepara Isaacs and Taha Brown.

Ngai Tamanuhiri chief executive Robyn Rauna said the collaboration was an important opportunity for iwi to tell their stories in their own way.

“He Putanga No Uki is one of those stories we were raised on. To be able to capture it as an educational resource is invaluable and it will enhance not only our Maori kids and mokopuna, but contribute to the local history of this region,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to be able to share this story with the country, while also using Ngai Tamanuhiri dialect, and look forward to telling more of our stories over time.”

Director of the film Matai Smith, of Ngai Tamanuhiri, said a special aspect was that it was a childhood story of the past being retold to children of today.

“We were lucky that there were four living kaumatua from that time. Papa Temple and Papa Taha were the ones who were keen to tell the story of when they saw Horouta waka.

“Their recollection was quite vivid. They were really sharp in being able to recollect that time. It was like it was yesterday.

“The style of film, I like to call it ‘faction’. Meaning, it was a true story, but the way we portray it, encourages the opportunity for children to let their imagination run wild.

“It was also an opportunity to get a sense of the reo, the dialect of Tamanuhiri.

“We were able to highlight some of our kiwaha (colloquialisms). We included some Tamanuhiri words, and some that will grow the kids vocabulary.

“This resource is vital in terms of Ngai Tamanuhiri placing their stake in the ground here in Turanga as one of the major iwi.

“It is an accesible resource both at kura (in schools) and online. It’s digital, and digital is the way of the world. It is a platform that our kids relate to. There is also a hardcopy version of the book.”

The Ministry of Education’s raukura chief adviser te ao Maori, Dr Wayne Ngata, said working directly with Maori communities to tell their stories as local curriculum resources had unearthed the wealth of information held in oral history across the country.

“We are continuing to work with communities across Aotearoa to deliver new and innovative local resources for te reo Maori learners through the Te Aho Ngarahu fund.

“He Putanga no Uki is the first of 80 new resources made to ensure that local NZ history and stories are a central part of all local curriculum,” said Dr Ngata.

He Putanga no Uki was launched at Muriwai Marae in Gisborne last Friday in front of Tamanuhiri and Turanga whanau.

Mr Smith said the screening was a special moment, especially for the kaumatua.

“What stood out for me was seeing the Papas and their reaction to the film. That was their first time they had seen the video,” he said.

“You could see they were transfixed by how the story was told, the music, the imagery and the moments. That was pretty special.”