Local learning in own te reo

Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o Tawhiuau principal Pem Bird (left) with Minister of Education Hekia Parata (foreground centre) and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell (right) at yesterday's launch of Ngati Manawa reading resources.

Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o Tawhiuau pupils can now learn from books about themselves in their own language.

The launch yesterday of new reading resources at the Murupara school was attended by Education Minister Hekia Parata and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell. Principal Pem Bird said the day was a major step for the school in making reading relevant for the area's young people.

Each book was written in the Ngati Manawa dialect by academic head of the kura and Mr Bird's daughter, Lianne.

"It's about our people, our stories. When our tamariki [children] come to kura, they are encountering for the first time books about themselves," Mr Bird said.

There are 39 titles in the reader series with a 40th to be added shortly. Future developments will include an English translation with plans for Japanese and Mandarin translations also. Both of those languages are also taught at the kura.

Mr Bird acknowledged people who had worked behind the scenes to produce the books. After the speeches concluded, students took turns reading extracts of the books aloud.

Ms Parata said, "Alongside the teachers at the kura, the involvement of kaumatua, whanau, hapu and marae was invaluable, particularly in retaining the aspects of identity, language and culture that are important to Ngati Manawa.

"These resources demonstrate the power of professionals working collaboratively with the iwi and the community to develop resources that best meet the needs and contexts of their children. They also show what can be achieved when agencies back local initiatives in te reo Maori that are designed to raise achievement. This is about celebrating the stories of your tipuna (ancestors) and your place in the world."

Ms Parata said the books were funded through Tau Mai Te Reo - the Maori Language in Education Strategy 2013-2017 aimed at encouraging a bilingual New Zealand.

Mr Flavell acknowledged Ms Bird for her work as she wrote about her home and prepared the series' model while living overseas. "You can't give a greater koha (gift) than to leave books like this for the next generation and the next generation," he said.