Kokiri 20 - Te Puni Kokiri

KAUPAPA MÄTUAMäori Language Awards supreme winners 2009 – Te Poari Matua o Raukawa recipients with Erima HenareLeft to right: Hori Deane, Charlie Tepana, Tangiwai Amopiu holding Rauhuia Tepana and Erima Henare.MÄORILANGUAGEAWARDS 2010Following yet another successfulMäori Language Week, Te TauraWhiri i te Reo Mäori (The MäoriLanguage Commission) calls forentries for the Mäori LanguageAwards which will take placeon the evening of 9 October aspart of Huia Te Reo, the nationalMäori language conferenceat the Rotorua Energy EventsCentre.As with last year the awardsrecognises projects andinitiatives which seek longerterm commitments to te reoMäori.“Mäori Language Week and theMäori Language Awards havebeen important in creatingcritical awareness of languagerevitalisation amongst widerNew Zealand society groupsfor which the value of te reoMäori is not immediately clearor obvious. The challenge nowis building on the goodwilland positivity created duringMäori Language Week with aview to creating longer termcommitments to the language”,says Chief Executive GlenisPhilip-Barbara.The categories have alsohad a reshuffle with themedia categories renamed asBroadcasting mainstream andBroadcasting Mäori. The sameprinciple has been applied tothe education categories with amainstream and Mäori mediumdifferentiation introduced.“Each year we receive feedbackabout how to improve theawards and the need to levelthe playing field such that ‘like’organisations are assessedagainst one another has been aconsistent theme over the years.We expect these changes willenhance the existing awardsprogramme” says Glenis Philip-Barbara.“We have also introduced anIT and Telecommunicationscategory. The potential toadvance and progress languagerevitalisation through thesemediums is largely untappedso we view the addition of thiscategory to the awards platformas an opportunity to profilethe more innovative pathwaysbeing sought to promulgate andproliferate the language”, saysGlenis Philip-Barbara.After a one year hiatus, and withdue consideration to feedback,the government category hasalso been reintroduced as anaward category. As such allgovernment departments andassociated public sector entitiesare invited to submit entries forconsideration this year.For more information on theMäori Language Awards go tothe Körero Mäori website atwww.koreromaori.co.nzTickets for the Mäori LanguageAwards are now available forpurchase. For further enquiriesplease ring toll free on0800 6283736, or emailreception@tetaurawhiri.govt.nz