Toitū Te Reo founder Jeremy Tātere MacLeod said people were embracing Māori language and culture at the two-day event at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre in Hastings. Photo / Michaela Gower
Toitū Te Reo founder Jeremy Tātere MacLeod said people were embracing Māori language and culture at the two-day event at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre in Hastings. Photo / Michaela Gower
The Toitū Te Reo festival has kicked off a series of events across Hawke’s Bay with thousands turning out to “celebrate” Māori language.
Founder Jeremy Tātere MacLeod said everyone was embracing the culture, with an estimated 5000 people attending on Thursday at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.
“Toitū Te Reo is a festival that aims to unite New Zealanders who are passionate about the language to come together to be inspired to be educated, to have their thinking challenged, to be entertained and to celebrate together.”
He said the two-day event had huge benefits for the region.
Speakers on Thursday included Mike McRoberts, Moana Maniapoto, Pānia Papa and Dr Hana O’Regan.
“If you walk through there, you can hear the Māori language being used, but let that not be a barrier if you want to come down and have a look, you don’t have to be fluent.”
MacLeod said there was a growing openness in hearts and minds towards the language.
“We want to escape the noise and any rhetoric, and come together and celebrate the innocent language that still survives and is still an identity marker for our country, despite whatever opposition it faces.
Large crowds gathered at the Toitū Te Reo festival. Photo / Michaela Gower
“Government rhetoric will always impact the attitudes of New Zealanders towards the language, and I just hope that those who believe in it will continue to believe in it.”
Hastings’ special places and people are also being celebrated with several events over the weekend.
The action starts on Friday at 5.30pm with Taste Hastings in the city centre for an evening of wine, food and live music.
Twenty-five Hawke’s Bay wineries, three breweries and a cidery will be on Heretaunga St East.
The community is invited to celebrate 120 years of Cornwall Park in Hastings this weekend. Photo / Paul Taylor
Then on Saturday from 1-5pm, Cornwall Park celebrates 120 years.
Originally gifted by the Williams family in the early 1900s, the park was named after a royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of York.
To help mark the occasion, Williams family descendant Hugh McBain and other family members will attend to cut the birthday cake to help acknowledge their ancestors’ contribution to the city.
Splash Planet to open to the public this Saturday. Photo / Warren Buckland
Saturday also marks the opening of Splash Planet, and the facility will be open weekends only until December 7, then every day for the summer season.
The annual Rose Sunday family day will take place on Sunday from 11am-3pm.
Opened in 1967, the Frimley Rose Garden has grown from 4000 to over 5500 roses with an impressive display of colour, fragrance and heritage.
The free event includes live music, face painting and bubble blowing for the kids, as well as coffee, ice cream and, of course, the beautiful roses with the Hastings Rose group on hand to answer any questions.
Hastings mayor Wendy Schollum said the weekend was a reflection of what makes Hastings a special place.
“Events like these are a perfect opportunity to make the most of our beautiful spaces and enjoy the start of the Heretaunga Hastings summer.”
The event is the first horse racing in Hawke’s Bay in more than 13 months, since the second day of Hawke’s Bay Racing’s 2024 Spring Carnival was called off early in September last year, and the first in Waipukurau in five years.
The Jockey Club president Kirsty Lawrence said the Property Brokers Village and Waipawa Butchery Bar had sold out, with 1200 people booked in.
General admission is free and she expects 5000 people through the gates.
There are nine races taking place with the first at 12.05pm and the last at 5.01pm, along with a range of competitions and fashion in the field.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
