Te Tatau o Te Arawa | Introducing your new board
E rau rangatira mā, ngā mihi matakuikui ki a koutou i Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2019.
Our new Te Tatau o Te Arawa board met for an informal gathering at the end of August to make introductions and to go over the election results with returning officer, Dale Ofsoske.
Those declared elected are Kiri Potaka-Dewes, Danielle Marks, Kahutapeka Ututaonga, Tina Ngatai, Rawiri Waru, Kingi Biddle, Te Mauri Kingi, Aroha Bray, Mala Grant, Eraia Kiel, Gina Mohi, Kepa Morgan, Te Taru White and Eugene Berryman-Kamp.
While it was a light-hearted meeting, board members agree we have some very important take to work through over the coming months. We’re looking forward to the new dynamic of the board, which comprises six new members.
The Te Tatau o Te Arawa Board is meeting again later this month to schedule the date of their first AGM which will be held in October. E te tī, e te tā please keep an eye out for the AGM notice so you can come and get the first look at our annual report and the election of the new chair and deputy chair.
Te Arawa E! | Vision workshops this month
Ka nui ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa kua whai wā ki te whakawhāriki i ō koutou moemoeā kia whaoa ai te whakakitenga hou mō Te Arawa.
We’ve received some great feedback and aspirations from te tini me te mano – rangatahi mai, pakeke mai, koeke mai through the online uiui, rangatahi survey, Facebook page, discussions at hui, and strategic documents from our hapū, iwi, trusts and entities.
Some strong themes have emerged, however the wellbeing of Te Arawa tāngata across all realms – health, education, welfare (including housing) and employment – has been the most important to date.
People who’ve responded also want to see our people, our hapū and our iwi being more self-determining and independent. They’d also like to see a programme of leadership development with succession planning in action as well as better connection of our people between each other and to their haukāinga.
The next theme to come out strongly is Te Arawa ahurea, and the desire to see our own reo and tikanga thriving in all facets of life.
Te Arawa takiwā has been the next large strategic theme – the protection and sustainability of our taiao featuring strongly along with responsibly growing our tribal estate and recognising mana whenua in terms of decision-making, not just entities.
Technology and innovation is appearing frequently, with strong kōrero around our people needing to be more technologically savvy and resourced, and our marae being better connected.
Under the kaupapa of Te Arawa economy, what’s clearly coming through is a desire to ensure that as our economy continues to grow so too should the wellbeing of our people, our culture and our taiao.
Increasing our Political Influence, improving Te Arawa entity connection, and doing more to link the Tauihu, Takere me te Kei o Te Arawa waka are also themes that have come through.
Our next step is to wānanga with our people. We’re starting by inviting whānau to one of five workshops we’re holding to help us make sure we’ve got the kōrero right and to finalise those themes and values. The first round of workshops are being held at Te Tatau o Te Arawa, 1192 Haupapa Street, Rotorua, on:
- Tues 17 Sept – 5.30pm
- Thurs 19 Sept – 10am
- Thurs 19 Sept – 5.30pm
- Fri 20 Sept – 5.30pm
- Sat 21 Sept – 1pm
For catering purposes, please email your RSVP to Karla at karla@tetatau.nz with the session date/time you'd like to attend.
Rotorua Reorua | Two years at the fore
Last month we celebrated the two-year anniversary of Rotorua becoming a reorua city.
Te Tatau o Te Arawa, with support from Rotorua Lakes Council and Te Puni Kōkiri, launched Rotorua Reorua – a city which supports and promotes both te reo Māori and English language. We’ve come a long way over the past two years, with bilingual narratives on display throughout our city, including the refurbished council Civic Centre, names of buildings, stadium carparks, restaurant menus, event promotions, signage, reo classes and more. We look forward to advancing this kaupapa even more over the coming months.
Rotorua Reorua | Growth in te reo Māori courses
Rotorua’s reorua efforts are being further enhanced, with Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology experiencing an increasing number of people wanting to learn te reo Māori.
Group manager - Te Kura Māori, Heddell Raerino (Dell), says there’s been significant growth of te reo Māori programmes, particularly at Toi Ohomai, with the school averaging around 66 percent growth per year over the past four years.
“We’ve gone from having 15 to 20 students, to almost 600 students,” says Dell.
“It’s about the maturing of the New Zealand identity, the value and importance of te reo Māori has increased. You’re seeing a lot more te reo on television, hearing a lot more on the radio, reading it in texts – you’re seeing it all over the place. It’s building momentum.”
Toi Ohomai delivers a fulltime te reo Māori course in Tokoroa, however it’s the part-time evening courses designed to accommodate working people that are proving popular. The school now offers night classes in Rotorua, Tauranga, Tūrangi, Taupō, Matamata, Murupara, Maketū and Whakatāne.
“People are wanting to put more into their kete and make themselves more attractive to employers. In a lot of instances, it’s almost become reo for business because many businesses have people who work with Māori trusts and Māori people.
“In Rotorua there’s a fairly even ratio of Māori to non-Māori learners, while Tauranga has a lot more non-Māori taking up courses. In both places, we’ve got new arrivals to the country who say they’re in Aotearoa so they should learn the indigenous language.
“Farmers, mature pākehā, middle class and well-off people, and large stud farm owners are enrolling on the programmes, which we wouldn’t normally see in the past. It’s exciting times for te reo Māori.”
Dell says their research shows similar themes are coming through.
“People want it for their business so they can interact with Māori because we’ve got resources now, or they’ve got mokopuna who are Māori and they want to understand what they’re saying. There’s a bit of a wave on – everybody else is doing it – so they don’t want to get left behind.”
He says the stigma of learning Māori isn’t there like it used to be, and Rotorua’s reorua strategy has helped.
“I’m not saying it’s perfect, but comments such as, ‘that language has no use, why would you do it? You’re wasting your time’, that kind of whakaaro is dying out, thank goodness.
“There’s those diehards who still say those kinds of things, but the majority of New Zealanders are maturing in their attitudes towards things Māori. They see te reo Māori as part of their New Zealand identity. It’s good for our reo programmes.”
Rotorua Reorua | Supporting major events
Te Tatau o Te Arawa is excited to support two major events this month – Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival and Te Arawa Kaumātua Olympics.
Both events celebrate, inspire and share our talents with the community, as well as uplift the Rotorua Reorua kaupapa throughout their programmes.
Board member, Eraia Kiel, spoke at the Aronui opening at Te Papaiouru Marae this month and said it’s a reminder of how many Te Arawa trailblazers Rotorua has.
“Aronui is a reflection of the world’s awakening to indigenous power. For us, as Māori, knowledge is hidden in arts and culture.”
Te Tatau o Te Arawa is also thrilled to be entering a team in Aronui’s Jojo Super 9s kapa haka competition next week [21 September] at Te Manawa, and holding an information stall at this Sunday’s [15 September] Aronui Māori Market.
We encourage everyone to come along to these events and support the reorua kaupapa.
For more information, check out their Facebook pages:
Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival & Te Arawa Kaumātua Olympics
