Māori language award win for Massey

The University has won another Māori Language Award for its initiatives to celebrate Māori Language Week.

The annual awards are organised by the Māori Language Commission with the support of Te Puni Kōkiri and the Human Rights Commission. They were presented on Friday night in Rotorua.

Last year Massey won the Māori Language Week award and shared the supreme award. This year it won the tertiary education sector category.

The entry included extending celebrations for the month of July and the introduction of a Massey waiata and an internal competition to perform the waiata, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

Senior Māori Adviser Jacob Tapiata says it was an honour to be able to come away with a win again, and share the stage with Kaiti School and other winners, in particular veteran language advocate Huirangi Waikerepuru who received the Taku Toa Takimano award which recognises an individual’s contribution to the language.

“This is the fourth year that we have entered the awards,” Mr Tapiata says. "Each year we have built on the one before and enlisted wider University support. Winning is a testimony to the effort of many staff and students.”

Since 2004 the awards have celebrated efforts to promote te reo Māori during Māori Language Week. This has grown to recognise and celebrate Māori language excellence throughout the year.

The theme of Māori Language Week this year was Manaakitanga and was aligned to Rugby World Cup celebrations.

Kaiti School of Gisborne won both the Māori Language Week and supreme awards this year.


Other category winners include:
Private Sector – Tokoroa New World; Community – Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Charitable Trust, Tauranga and Te Reo o Taranaki Charitable Trust; Local Government – Wellington City Council; Government – Department of Corrections; Broadcasting: Mainstream – Television New Zealand; Broadcasting: Māori Media – Tūmanako Productions of Auckland; Print – The Gisborne Herald; Education: Mainstream – Tokoroa High School; Education: Māori Medium – Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai of Rotorua; Tertiary Education: Massey University; Māori Language Week – Kaiti School, Gisborne; Māori Language Week, Inaugural – Insoll Avenue School, Hamilton.