From the MTG: Ko te ngana noa ko Te Reo he taahiraa nui

I arotahi Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori i tēnei tau ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo, ā, koinā tonu te mea e kitea ana e au mai i konei. Kua tino anga whakamua te āhua o te hunga pāpāho auraki e pā ana ki te reo, kua nui ake te whakamahi i te reo me ngā kōrero o ia rā. Tērā pea he tino pōturi tō ako reo, pēnei i ahau, mā ētahi kupu ruarua nei pea e whakawhānui i tō rārangi kupu i roto i te wā, he tīmatanga tērā. Ka nui ake te uru mai o te reo ki te ao o ia rā ka nui ake ngā akoranga ki a tātau.

I tēnei tau i whakahaerehia anō e mātau ngā akoako reo pihinga e rua, ā, i tino kaingākautia anō ēnei. He tino pai te ako a te kaitiaki taonga, a Te Hira Henderson, ki te whakatau i te wairua o te tangata me te whakatenatena ki te ako i ētahi kupu hou. He tīmatanga pai te whakamātau noa i ngā kupu, ā, mā te wā e pai ake te whakahua.

I whakahaerehia anō e mātau tētahi haerenga kōkau e arotahi ana ki ngā kupu tuhi, e tiro ana ki ngā taonga maha mai i te pūranga taonga Māori whānui i roto i te kohinga. E hoki ana ēnei ki ngā rā o te Athenaeum, i whakatūhia i te 1865. I tere pau ngā tūranga o tēnei haerenga, ka mutu i tino momoho.

Ki tētahi atu take, kāore anō kia tino pā mai ki ahau kua mutu te taiopenga kiriata. I tēnei tau i mātakitaki ahau i ētahi kiriata whakaongaonga, mai i ngā mea koroingo ki te matapiko, mai i te tōrangapū ki te whakapono - i reira ngā tūmomo mea rerekē. Ahakoa kei te mutunga wiki whakamutunga, e waru ngā kiriata kei te toe hei whakaatu, nō reira kei te whai wāhi tonu koe ki te haere mai ki te mātakitaki i ētahi tūmomo kiriata. Kei runga i tāku rārangi ko te Walking on Water ka whakaaturia ā te 1pm, he whai haere i te tohunga toi a Christo e whakauru ana ia i ngā ara hīkoi papanga ki runga i tētahi roto i Itari - kikī ana tēnei i ngā tāngata korokē me ngā āhuatanga uaua, ko te mutunga atu ko tētahi whakamaunga toi whakamīharo. Me te aha i tēnei rā ko Yuli me te kanikani hīteki, a Carlos Acosta, no Kūpā ia, e whakaatu ana i ngā kōrero mō tōna ao, me American Woman, mō tētahi whaea takitahi e whakarite ana i ngā uauatanga kia puta ia i te ngaronga o tana tamaiti taiohi. Ko te kiriata whakamutunga ko te The Whistlers, he mea muna, whakangārahu me te hohenga.

E whā atu anō ngā kiriata āpōpō, kua kite kē ahau i tētahi me taku tino taunaki i a The Biggest Little Farm, he kiriata tino rawe me ngā tūmanako pai mō ngā rā e heke iho. Ko tētahi atu kiriata e hiahia ana ahau ki te mātakitaki ko Photograph, kei Īnia tēnei, ā, te āhua nei he kiriata pai tēnei. Ko tā Maria by Callas he hoatu i te kōrero tika mō te ara mahi me te tuakiri i waho o te atamira o tēnei wahine rongonui. Ko te kiriata whakakapi mō te taiopenga, ko The Nightingale, te āhua nei koinei tētahi o ngā kiriata ka tino titi ki tō āhua ngākau i tēnei tau, e pā ana ki ngā kaupapa tunuhuruhuru, taipūwhenua me te utu – he kiriata pea ka noho tonu ki roto i tō hinengaro mō ngā tau e maha.

Ahakoa ō hiahia ko te tūmanako i kite koe i ngā kiriata e pārekareka ana ki a koe me ētahi i whakaoho i tō mauri, i whakapātari rānei i tāu titiro ki te ao. Ko te tūmanako i whānui ake ō pūkenga reo Māori, ā, kua whānui ake te reo Māori i roto i tō ao.

NGĀ WHAKAHAERE

• Koinei te wiki whakamutunga mō te The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), MTG Century Theatre, ka mutu āpōpō, Rātapu 15 o Mahuru. E wātea ana ngā tīkiti mā Ticketek me MTG.

• Tūtaki ki te Kaituhi. Tūtaki ki te kaituhi rongonui a Tessa Duder me te whakarongo ki tana kōrero mō te āhua o te tātai a James Cook i te mapi tuatahi o Aotearoa. Wenerei 18 o Mahuru 5.30pm. MTG Century Theatre. Kāore he utu, he koha noa iho. Kāore koe e mate ki te rēhita.

• Awheawhe Tuitui Putiputi me te kaiako Fleur Woods. Whakauru mai ki tētahi awheawhe rā kotahi me te tohunga toi tuitui a Fleur Woods nō Whakatū, he whakamahi i ngā miro tae ā-ringa a Fleur. Rāhoroi 21, Rātapu 22 rānei o Mahuru 10.30am-4pm. MTG Education Suite. E wātea ana ngā tīkiti mā Eventfinda.

• Ngā Kauhau Mētara Kōura a NZIA Aon – Jeremy Salmond, te kaihoahoa whare tawhito matua o Aotearoa. MTG Century Theatre, Tūrei 24 Mahuru, 6pm. Kāore he utu, me rēhita mā Eventbrite

Mō te whakapākehātanga o te tuhinga o tēnei wiki haere ki mtghawkesbay.com

• mō ngā taipitopito whānui haere ki www.mtghawkesbay.com
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Māori Language Week Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori this year has focused on revitalisation of the language and that was what I'm continuing to see around me. There's been a real progression in how mainstream media are treating te reo, with more and more frequent use of common everyday words.

Even if you're very slow at learning languages like I am, just a few words and slowly building up vocabulary over time is a start. The more te reo becomes a part of everyday life the more we'll all learn.

This year we offered another two short introductory te reo classes which proved very popular once again. Curator – Taonga Māori, Te Hira Henderson, is very good at putting people at ease and providing encouragement to try new words. Just trying is a great step forward and pronunciation will come over time.

We also put on a special behind the scenes tour focusing on the written word, which looked at items from the extensive taonga Māori archive in the collection. These date back to the days of the Athenaeum, established in 1865. This tour booked out very quickly and was a huge success.

On a completely different note, I can't believe the film festival is almost over.

I've watched some truly interesting films from nostalgia to greed, politics to religion this year – it's been a really diverse mix. Although we're in the final weekend there are eight films to screen, so you still have the chance to come and enjoy an interesting variety of films.

On my list is Walking on Water screening today at 1pm, which follows artist Christo installing a network of fabric walkways on an Italian lake – full of quirky personalities and challenging situations culminating in the production of a spectacular art installation. Also on today are Yuli, with Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta sharing his life story and American Woman which centres on a single mother trying to cope and survive the disappearance of her teenage child.

The last film tonight is The Whistlers which looks to be full of mystery, intrigue and action.

Tomorrow there are another four films, one that I've already seen and I can heartily recommend, The Biggest Little Farm, is a great film with some positive hope for the future.

Another film I'd like to see is Photograph, set in India this looks like a simply lovely film, and Maria by Callas sets the record straight on the career and off-stage personality of this diva.

The closing film for the festival, The Nightingale, looks like one of the more emotionally challenging films this year, touching on themes of brutality, colonialism and revenge – a film that might stick in your mind for years to come.

Regardless of your tastes we hope you've found films that appealed to you and maybe some that pushed you out of your normal comfort zone or challenged your way of looking at the world. I also hope you've managed to extend your Māori language skills and added some more te reo into your life.

• Laura Vodanovich is MTG director

WHAT'S ON

• Last weekend for the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), MTG Century Theatre, finishes tomorrow, Sunday, September 15. Tickets available through Ticketek and at MTG.

• Meet the Author. Meet renowned author Tessa Duder and hear her story of how James Cook charted the first map of Aotearoa New Zealand. Wednesday, September 18, 5.30pm. MTG Century Theatre. Free event, koha appreciated. No need to register.

• Floral Embroidery Workshop with tutor Fleur Woods. Take part in a one-day workshop with embroidery artist Fleur Woods, from Nelson, using Fleur's hand-dyed linen. Saturday, September 21 or Sunday, September 22, 10.30am-4pm. MTG Education Suite. Tickets available through Eventfinda.

• NZIA Aon Gold Medal Lecture Series – Jeremy Salmond, New Zealand's pre-eminent heritage architect. MTG Century Theatre, Tuesday, September 24, 6pm. Free event, please register through Eventbrite.

• For full details visit www.mtghawkesbay.com