Rotorua District Council kaupapa Maori director Mauriora Kingi (left) with library staff Robyn Skipwith, Manda Waiariki, Lois Haddon, Amanda Hemara and mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Ben Fraser
Rotorua District Council kaupapa Maori director Mauriora Kingi (left) with library staff Robyn Skipwith, Manda Waiariki, Lois Haddon, Amanda Hemara and mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Ben Fraser
A passion for sharing te reo Maori has seen the Rotorua District Library named as a finalist in the Nga Tohu Reo Maori (Maori Language Awards).
Their call waiting music plays the soulful sounds of Whirmako Black, their voice messages are bilingual, and each week they offer free Maori languageclasses. They, with Maui Productions, are among the 31 finalists at the awards ceremony in Rotorua on Friday.
The awards acknowledged those who have shown commitment and dedication to the revitalisation of te reo Maori.
Rotorua District Council kaupapa Maori director Mauriora Kingi said the library had a strong track record for promoting the language.
"The library does a lot of positive things for te reo, they have some really dedicated staff, Maori and non-Maori. They have been supporting Maori language week for the last four years but not only for the week, they do it 365 days a year.
Mr Kingi is one of the judges for the awards but did not take part in the judging of the library.
"For us, it's an honour to be shortlisted. We entered like any other local authority and are fortunate that we were named as a finalist. This is the second time Rotorua has hosted the awards and it's a big night for Maoridom," Mr Kingi said.
"The winner of the day is te reo Maori, to have the who's who there and to be recognised to be as one of the best in the field is great. There are different awards, different categories and whoever is hosting the event, you usually get people from all over motu [area].
Matanga Maori - Maori Specialist Librarian Haki Tahana said promoting the language gave them an opportunity to engage with the community.
Maori Specialist Librarian Haki Tahana. Photo / Supplied
"We're stoked about [the awards]. During the week we focus on pronunciation and learning simple words. It's a sustainable resource and to encourage the reo Maori, each Wednesday we go down to main floor and whoever is in library they can take part in learning the kupu [word] of the week," Mr Tahana said.
Mr Kingi said using te reo Maori was an integral part of the whole district council.
The Maori Language Act was introduced in 1987, with Maori becoming an official language. So not only was it an official language for the country but the council also adopted that as one of their policies.
"The council has been using the te reo app that Dr Rapata Wiri created, we've had 60 staff sign up for that app.
Our letters, newsletter, webpages - there's a number of ways we're promoting te reo internally, in fact our council crest, has 'tatou tatou' on it which will be changed to the Te Arawa dialect 'tatau, tatau'." he said.
"We're wanting macrons now on all of the Maori words. It's important in our district plan that we will be consistent where we can with macrons, which includes signage, as they're needing to be replaced to include the macron."
The Nga Tohu Reo Maori Maori Language Awards will be on Friday at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.
Finalists for Nga Tohu Reo Maori Maori Language Awards 2014
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori has announced the finalists for Nga Tohu Reo Maori. There are 31 finalists in 13 contestable categories.
Chapman Tripp Cinco Cine Genesis Energy NZQA Maori Multimedia Ltd Marae Investigates (TVNZ) Maui TV South Waikato News Ngai Tauira (Victoria University) R 'n' R Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc Waikato Regional Council Papamoa Kindergarten Thames South School Te Akau ki Papamoa School CPIT The Gisborne Herald Taranaki District Health Board Te Poari Manaaki o Raukawa Te Reo Irirangi o Pare Hauraki Te Reo Irirangi o Turanganui-a-Kiwa Te Reo o Taranaki Trust Te Reo Singalong Inland Revenue (Palmerston North) Te Wananga o Aotearoa Rotorua District Library Toihuarewa (Victoria University) Trustpower Vodafone New Zealand Whaikorero (Enter The Dragon Ltd)
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