Te Rōpū Whakahau hui ā tau

From 17-20 March 2010 Judith Waaka and Anahera Sadler attended the Te Ropu Whakahau hui a tau at Onuku marae in Akaroa.

The venue was stunning and the manaakitanga of the home people were amazing!. One of the unique things about TRW hui a taui is that they are hosted on marae and we get to experience the culture, stories and history of the local iwi. All of the sessions were delivered in the whare nui "Karaweko".

The conference theme Te Pataka o Rakaihautu - Nga hua o te whenua - Nga hua o Tae me nga uri o Tangaroa, was about presenting traditional knowedge and values in a modern setting. This is the major conference in the area of Maori and information management, and the learning's from the hui will assist us in implementing practical and productive service enhancements for our customers.

I was interested in the Kai Tahu Reo Revitalisation session as it provided some background into the decline of te reo Maori in the South island and suggested ways of increasing te reo Maori. In terms of ACL's Pumanawa project I learned that te reo Maori revitalisation is best achieved by targeting families and not individuals.

The cultural mapping project was about the identification and recording of cultural resources and activities of Maori communities. I was particularly interested in this session as it used traditional knowledge with modern techology to create a valuable resource for both the iwi and the government.

He mihi miharo tenei ki nga whanau me nga hapu o Ngai Tarewa me Ngati Irakehu. Ka Mau te wehi.