August 14, 2023
Reo symposum passes tough test
The organiser of Ngāti Kahungunu’s annual national Māori language revitalisation symposium if they had the capacity they could easily have doubled attendance at last week’s event in Hastings.
The 1200 tickets for the two-day hui were snapped up within hours.
Jeremy Tātere MacLeod, the iwi’s mātauranga director, says in its six years it has gone from strength to strength.
He says even former Maori language commissioner Sir Timoti Karetu, who is notoriously hard to please, was impressed with the calibre of the speakers and korero at the event.
“For him to say that any event has reinstilled his faith, I thought wow, that speaks volumes – and he certainly shared some uplifting sentiments – because he’s never been afraid to share his thoughts, regardless of how blunt and brutal they are,” Dr MacLeod says.