Maori CD rich resource

By Adam Gifford

A CD-Rom produced for teaching Maori language and culture in the classroom looks like finding wider use for tourism and marketing.

Tangata Whenua o Aotearoa, an interactive encyclopaedia of Maori culture and lifestyle, was developed by Christchurch company Carich Productions, an offshoot of a computer-training business set up by Caron and Richard Taurima.

"There were no resources out there for computer-based training in Maori and, as we were trying to teach Maori as part of our training company, we decided to do something about it," Caron Taurima says.

The CD encyclopaedia was three years in the planning, and cost more than $350,000 to produce. It was launched last week by the Minister of Maori Affairs, Tau Henare, at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand.

Five programmers and graphic designers drawn from previously unemployed graduates of Carich Computer Training and 10 contract researchers were involved in the project.

Some funding came from Creative New Zealand, the Maori Language Commission and the Community Employment Group of Work and Income New Zealand, which will pay for copies to be distributed free to every school.

It is also available for $95 from Carich Productions (Website www.maoricd.co.nz) and school and library distributor Raeco NZ.

Caron Taurima describes the response from schools as overwhelmingly positive. "A lot of teachers are struggling for Maori resources. This can be used as an individual class exercise or for teaching a group."

Some territorial authorities have indicated they want it for cultural awareness training, she says, and tourism operators are also interested, especially those dealing with Asian and German markets.

"We showed it at an Apec meeting last week and a lot of overseas delegates wished they had seen it before they arrived so they knew more about this country."

On the CD are an interactive 3-D marae walk-through with commentary on protocol and lessons designed by a Christchurch College of Education lecturer, Melanie Riwai-Couch. The lessons show how to pronounce Maori words, greetings, days of the week, months of the year, seasons, place names, counting and introductions, leading to simple conversation.

A Treaty of Waitangi section covers the day of signing, the people involved and copies of each of the nine treaties with maps of where they were taken for signing.

Legends are told in an interactive way; it has a Maori database, including glossary, pictures and more than 30 minutes of video clips and a quiz.

There is a database of iwi, hapu and waka so users can click on a map of New Zealand to find out about the tribes associated with areas.

"We don't have waiata (songs) on it. They'll have to wait for volume two," she says.

The software is written as a dual platform so people can choose whether to go through many sections of the CD in English or Maori.