MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand Plunket Society – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Family and whanau focus for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Plunket is joining forces with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Puni Kōkiri to help families teach their young children te reo.
As part of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (27 July-2 August), Plunket is distributing language resources by Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori to help families speak te reo to their young children.
Around 3,500 free language resources will be distributed by Plunket nurses and healthworkers across the country during Te Wiki, with a focus on Māori families. Plunket will also be distributing te reo language resources provided by the Ministry of Education. The new initiative launched today (Wednesday 22 July) with an event hosted by Plunket at its family centre in Cannons Creek, Porirua.
Hera Black, Plunket’s Chief Advisor – Māori, said the partnership would help parents learn te reo themselves, and pass it on to the next generation. “We’re delighted to launch this joint project with Te Taura Whiri to support families to speak te reo at home. We provide services to over 10,000 Māori pēpi in their kainga, and we hope the resources will help support their whānau in using te reo as they raise their children.”
Acting Chief Executive, Tuehu Harris, said “For te reo Māori to thrive, it needs to be used regularly and meaningfully. This year’s te wiki o te reo Māori programme teaches phrases such as ‘Haramai e te tau’ / ‘Come here my darling.’ And ‘Kaua e tangi, e te tau’ / ‘Don’t cry, my darling’ These phrases assist parents and whānau to use te reo in a natural way.”
This year marks the 40th anniversary of te Wiki o te Reo Māori, and Plunket staff and volunteers are also celebrating during the week with their inaugural ‘Waiata Mai – Plunket’s got talent’ competition.
Ms Black said that competition was a fun way for Plunket people to celebrate the week, and part of a year-round effort to improve Plunket’s te reo: “We’re looking forward to Waiata Mai being an annual event, and we’d like to thank the team at Te Taura Whiri for donating a trophy which will go to the winning team. We can always learn more, and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an opportunity for all at Plunket to strengthen our skills.”
At its Wellington office, Plunket is also hosting a special hāngī presentation by Jo McLeod, involving wild grown Wellington food.
Find out more about Plunket’s celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori at facebook.com/PlunketNZ.
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Posted by Jen Riches on
22 July 2015
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