A newly renamed strategy to make Kerikeri the first bilingual town in the Far North is making progress. Photo / NZME
A newly renamed strategy to make Kerikeri the first bilingual town in the Far North is making progress. Photo / NZME
From kapa haka classes to te reo Māori in local businesses, Kerikeri’s journey to becoming the Far North’s first bilingual town is well under way.
The newly renamed Te Rauora (The Revitalisation) Strategy is an agreement between the council Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rēhia (the rūnanga) to develop more spaces,places and opportunities in Kerikeri where te reo Māori can flourish.
Ngāti Rēhia spokesman Kipa Munro said it’s about giving the town and in the future the rest of Northland the feel of te reo Māori, allowing the language to be celebrated alongside English.
Munro said while signage was one of the rūnanga’s plans to progress Te Rauora, to him that was secondary.
“It’s about when you visit Kerikeri and you think ‘there is something different going on here’. It must be something that you can see and feel.”
Ngati Rehia supporting kura and educators to experience place-based learning through te ao Māori at Te Ahurea, a unique Māori cultural and historical experience in Kororipo Heritage Park, Kerikeri Basin.
“You might walk into a shop and get greeted with a ‘kia ora’, just that greeting says volumes. It’s our language, our culture, our history. It’s more than just a language, I want people to see and hear a difference.”
Part of the strategy is offering te reo classes to businesses in the town, teaching business owners and staff everyday language they can use in their operating.
During the last six months activities by the rūnanga have included: business-focused te reo Māori learning sessions with staff at the Turner Centre and residents at Arvida Te Puna Waiora; development of Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum school packages that support kura (schools) and educators to experience place-based learning through te ao Māori; community kapa haka classes; cultural education programmes; supporting Kerikeri businesses to use te reo Māori every day; and Te Amo Pūtoro, the first council-owned māra hūpara playground.
“Our kaumātua tried to keep the language alive and now we doing it again and we should all be celebrating it.”
The strategy will extend further than the spoken language by exhibiting artwork portraying the culture in the town, to show the strong Māori influence in the town, Munro added.
The bilingual strategy for Kerikeri is a Department of Internal Affairs initiative and has been rolled out to other centres including Ōtaki, Rotorua, Whakatāne and Whangārei.
A recognisable increase in the use of te reo Māori in council places and spaces, including the rebranding of the council name and logo, is part of this strategy.
The establishment of Te Pae o Uta and Te Pae o Waho policies have been the main drivers for the normalising of te ao Māori within the council.
Te Pae o Uta gives council staff guidelines for improving the inclusivity of te ao Māori in all aspects of their work.
Te Pae o Waho is a te reo Māori and tikanga training programme for staff and contractors, with more than 173 staff enrolling in the programme so far.
