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May 25, 2022
Symposium sharpens reo-culture connection
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira
Posted On May 25, 2022
Download AudioOne of the organisers of the second Te Kaiaotanga o Te Reo Māori symposium says it’s a critical part of bringing the language back to Te Tau Ihu.
Last week’s symposium in Nelson attracted more than 700 people, almost double last year’s turn-out in Blenheim.
Jeremy Tātere McLeod says if follows generations when there was almost no language in the region, as his uncle Joe Mason from Ngati Kuia explained.
“He spoke about when he grew up post-World War 2, what it was like to live there, why they didn’t speak the language, why they followed a relatively European lifestyle until recent times and he impressed on the people the importance of the language and its customs – without it there is no culture – and I thought that was really inspiring coming from Uncle Joe,” he says.
Dr McLeod says such regular symposia are a way to feed the mauri needed and give people the energy and inspiration to continue their language journey.
