Jahvan Apatu, a graduate of EIT's M?ori visual arts school Toihoukura hosts a traditional tattoo workshop at EIT.
Taradale's Eastern Institute of Technology has been a showcase for the Maori language this week, with daily activities celebrating and promoting te reo.
Maori and Pasifika liaison advisor for EIT Lee Kershaw-Karaitiana said the school for Maori studies, Te Uranga Waka, is "a vibrant hub" with staff and students mobilising
to manage the Maori Language Week events.
"We are hosting a number of events in support and acknowledgment of this very important week," Mr Kershaw-Karaitiana said.
On Monday a Maori tattoo workshop was held. The workshop centred on traditional and contemporary tools and was led by Jahvan Apatu, a graduate of EIT's Maori visual arts school Toihoukura. Tuesday saw a te reo quiz organised by third-year Bachelor of Arts (Maori) students which saw very strong student attendance.
Today from lunchtime Lee Smith from the Maori Language Commission will give a lecture in te reo on dialectal variations in Ngati Kahungunu. Mr Kershaw-Karaitiana said these types of events help elevate te reo as an official language of New Zealand. "It exposes the language to people who aren't usually exposed to it."
