Jahvan Apatu, a graduate of EIT's M?ori visual arts school Toihoukura hosts a traditional tattoo workshop at EIT.
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 mobilisingto 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."
The on-campus activities, workshops and films screenings, were developed in collaboration with Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Maori (the Maori Language Commission).
