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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Mana of te reo boosted by week

For those who don't speak Te Reo Maori, Maori Language week is a good start.

For those who do, the Mana of the language should be nurtured.

Ko ta te korero mai i a maatanga reo maaori o te maunga whakahii o Taranaki a Taakuta Huirangi Waikerepuru.

Dr Waikerepuru, of Taranaki and Ngapuhi descent, says embracing the depths of Te Reo Maori should be paramount.
 
KAINGA THE FOCUS OF MAORI LANGUAGE WEEK

The living room, the dining table, the kitchen, and the bedroom are all key battlegrounds in the fight to revitalise te reo Maori.

This Maori language week the focus is on "Te Reo i te Kainga - Maori Language in the Home"

Huhana Roxx from the Maori Language Commission says it has prepared resources to encourage parents and children to use Maori in the home... including labels for parts of the house... and instructions on how to play a card game in te reo.

She says research shows that using a language at home is the key to its long-term survival.

"According to Joshua Fishman, who's a world expert linguist, if you haven't actually got got your language operating in the home between the generations in the family, you can't actually call it a living language," Ms Rokx says.
 
IMMIGRATION LAW COULD BRING BACK DAWN RAIDS

The Green Party is concerned an Immigration Bill proceeding in Parliament could represent a return to the era of dawn raids..

Maori affairs spokesperson Meteria Turei says many Maori are concerned immigration will lead to a loss of jobs, but she feels wider issues need to be considered.

"Especially for Maori, because we have so little to do with the immigration policy and the settings for it, by just giving more powers to the police and to Customs to check people and to force them out, it's not the way the country should be run," Ms Turei says.

GOOD TO LOOK BACK ON LANGUAGE FIGHT

A pioneer in breaking down barriers to the use of the Maori language says reflecting on milestones in the renaissance of Te Reo Maori is an important part of Maori Language week.

Ngati Porou kaumatua, Koro Dewes who in 1972 submitted the first Masters thesis totally in Te Reo Maori with no English translation says the idea was prompted by his frustration at the attitudes of then colleagues at Victoria University.

Haangai ana nga korero o roto i tona tuhinga tiketike ki te kaitito a Henare Waitoa mai i nga tau 1930 [kotahi mano iwa rau toru tekau] ki nga tau 1950 [kotahi mano iwa rau rima tekau].

Koro Dewes received an honorary doctorate from Victoria University in 2004.
 
POLLS SHOW GAP NARROWING TO LABOUR PARTY

A prominent Maori political commentator is not surprised to see polls showing a narrowing of the support gap between Labour and the Maori Party.

Rawiri Taonui, the head of Maori and Indigenous Studies at Canterbury University, says whereas a Marae Digipoll in March showed the Maori Party winning all the Maori seats by huge margins, a recent poll showed a considerable closing of the gap as reaction to October's Urewera terror raids wears off.

"If you look at the issues that concern Maori, they are becoming increasingly concerned about the economy, rising prices, inflation and those sorts of issues and in fact are becoming less concerned about Treaty issues," Mr Taonui says.

Another big issue is that Treaty settlements such as the half billion dollar settlement in the central North Island are getting traction with Maori voters.
 
TEMEPARA GEORGE STAGES WELCOME RETURN

The regional manager of Netball Counties Manukau says Temepara George will be an inspiration to a new genaration of players.

The former Silver fern and Maori Sportswoman of the Year confirmed today that she will play again next year, and will mentor young netballers in the region where she grew up.

Nicole Terrill says the talented netballer and dancer who debuted for the Silver Ferns in 1996 is a popular figure in Counties Manukau.

"She comes from the region. She started her netball at seven hears old in the local Mangere Netball Centre carpark so she's coming home really. We hope it's going to lift the numbers in our development programmes and keep our players playing netball in the Counties Manukau region," Ms Terrill says.
 

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