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September 25, 2023
Comp boosts reo Māori uptake in south
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On September 25, 2023
An Ōtākou Ngā Manu Kōrero committee member says this year’s competition was a testament to inter-generational efforts to reclaim te reo Māori, especially for Kai Tahu.
The national speech competition was held in Otepoti last week, with three of the four trophies going to kura in Te Taitokerau.
Paulette Tāmati-Elliffe says locals were positive about hearing te reo Māori in public spaces.
Her son Te Atarau Cassidy’s third placing for Pei Te Hurinui Jones shows a new generation of Kai Tahu orators is emerging.
“We now have a small number but a strong number of a new generation who are all first language speakers. So that’s the first time in over 100 years we’ve had a community of youth who have te reo Māori as their first language in the home,” Ms Cassidy-Eliffe says.
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