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Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Friday, July 25, 2008

Mauri laid for Wairau Hospital

Two traditions have come together in setting the foundation for the Wairua Hospital redevelopment.

The Maori custom of laying the mauri in the form of a stone was integrated with the Pakeha ritual of turning the sod at the Blenheim site.

The site blessing creates spiritual safety for those working on the project.
Joe Puketapu, the chair of Te Hauora o Ngati Rarua, says such ceremonies are a valuable learning opportunity for many Maori in the area, where there are few places to learn the ancient tikanga.

“One of the biggest difficulties we’ve had is the loss of many of our kaumatua kuia, being able to learn from them. While we might have kohanga reo, we don’t have kura kaupapa Maori. Many of the people on our marae today are still learning the reo. Those who sit on our paepae are aged between 35 and 45 and 50,” Mr Puketapu says.

The first stage of construction, including new wards and rehabilitation facilities, should be finished by April.

OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO GOOGLE MAORI SITE

The developer of Google Maori says the response to the site has been overwhelming.

Potaua Biasiny-Tule of Tangatawhenua.com says postcards and emails from Maori all over the world have streamed in since the service went live on Wednesday.

It took a team of volunteers 16 months to translate the 15-hundred messages needed for the Maori interface to the Internet's most popular search engine, and there's more to be done.

“You can create your own Google group, create a community around a specific discussion, but we’ve noticed a certain part of the groups area has not been translated, so just in the last few days we’ve found more work. We’ve got the main highway and now it’s a matter of going down the streets, the avenues to translate those as well,” Mr Biasiny-Tule says.

MAORI IN AUSTRALIA NOTE LANGUAGE WEEK

Although they are separated from their whenua, Maori across the ditch are celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori.

Ko ta te korero a Jasmine Pearson mo te hunga Maori e noho ana ki tua o te moana tapokopoko o tawhiti.

Hei ta Jasmine, kua roa nei te noho a etahi Maori ki Ahitereiria, he ahuatanga tenei hei taura here ki te kainga.

Jasmine Pearson is based in Sydney where te reo classes are offered at Parramatta College.

HARAWIRA IN FOR ROASTING OUT WEST

Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira is in for a roasting this weekend, as a way to inject some humour before election season gets serious.

He kaupapa whakangahau tenei mo ratou te hunga i tautoko ia Hone, mo ratou ano i whakaparahako i a ia.

The Roast will take place at Waitakere Trust Stadium tomorrow evening.

LANGUAGE WEEK SHOWS NATION READY FOR TE REO

The head of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori says the successs of Maori language week suggests New Zealanders are ready for the reo.

Huhana Rokx says there has been a positive response nationwide to promotions aimed at making te reo a part of all New Zealander's lives.

She says people are welcoming the chance to learn a few words.

“I think we have got two main reasons, Maori Television and the coverage of the tangihanga of Te Arikinui on mainstream television. People opened up to the fact that there was this world right underneath their noses they didn’t realise existed, so I think Yeah, the people of New Zealand are ready,” Ms Rokx says.

PLASTER BUSTS BASIS OF PORTRAIT SHOW

A trove of plaster sculptures of prominent early 20th century Maori has gone on display at the Adam Gallery in Wellington

The busts in Te Mata, the Ethnologic Portrait were commissioned by the director of the Dominion Museum, Augustus Hamilton, from sculptor Nelson Illingworth.

Curator Roger Blackley says one rangatira, Patara te Tuhi from Tainui, features in the show both in his plaster form and in a painting by Charles Goldie.

He says it was a chance to take another look at the way Maori responded to the European portrait tradition.

“These people who participated, and we had people like Kaohetea te Heuheu, the son of the then paramount chief, Tikitere from Te Arawa, quite prominent people. I think they were participating because they loved the idea of being portrayed for the future, as much for their descendants as for a museum audience or whatever,” Mr Blackley says.

Running alongside Te Mata is a show of contemporary portraits of Maori.

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