December 15, 2020
Fund to protect matauranga from COVID risk
The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage has announced 18 initiatives to help iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori communities safeguard indigenous knowledge from the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
Carmel Sepuloni says COVID-19 brought into sharp focus significant existing risks to mātauranga Māori, which in many cases is held by a small number of knowledge holders and arts practitioners – often kaumātua – who are particularly vulnerable to the global pandemic.
Among the initiatives to be funded through the $20 million Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme include a new $5.7 million Mātauranga Māori Marae Ora Fund to support projects that protect and revitalise mātauranga and taonga on marae around the country including:
– Wānanga to support iwi, hapū and whānau and Māori communities to protect and share mātauranga;
– preservation and conservation of taonga and mātauranga in all their forms, from audio-visual material to textiles.
– and initiatives led by tohunga and pūkenga to promote the revitalisation of endangered art forms like taonga pūoro and tārai waka.
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