August 18, 2022
Reo symposium honours past while looking forward
An organiser of Ngāti Kahungunu Inc’s Te Reo Ki Tua! The symposium in Hastings next month says it will be a chance to acknowledge some of those who fought to revitalise the language.
Jeremy Tātere MacLeod says the annual two-day symposium draws people from across the motu.
He says this year’s theme “Kua huri te tai! – The tide has turned!” pays tribute to those who have created a path for future speakers, such as Taitokerau activist turned Kura principal Hilda Halkyard Harawira.
“We’re quite a privileged generation today and certainly the two generations after me and at the very least by listening to people like Hilda and understanding the sacrifices they paid for us to bask in the myriad of privileges and opportunities we have today, and that is what this whole Kua huri te tai! is about, not forgetting those sacrifices,” Mr MacLeod says.
Other speakers will cover everything from language planning to kapa haka, media, arts, literature, teaching pedagogies, bilingualism within communities, and raising children in a full immersion environment.