Mäori language initiative to be showcased at conference

Media Release
14 March 2011

Pioneering Rotorua Mäori language initiative to be showcased at conference.

Findings from a ground-breaking Rotorua project attempting to halt the decline of the Mäori language will be presented at a conference next month.

The Hui Amorangi or Diocese of Te Manawa o te Wheke are among the groups participating at the biennial get together of the National Oral History Association of New Zealand (NOHANZ).

Concern about the decline in the Mäori language prompted the Hui Amorangi to form a group to capture the voices of the large but rapidly dwindling (and often very elderly) numbers of fluent native speakers of the Mäori language.
The conference will also hear from researcher Rangimarie Mahuika about oral history interviews completed by Ngäti Rangiwewehi as part of a project to understand and strengthen tribal identity.

Rotorua oral history pioneer, historian and author the late Don Stafford will be honoured at an event during the conference, which also features speakers from Australia and the Pacific.

NOHANZ President Rachael Selby says the conference is an opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of the oral history projects underway here and overseas. ‘Oral history is alive and well, recording stories here and further afield – before it’s too late.’

The conference begins on Saturday 2 April, at Distinction Rotorua, and runs through to Sunday. The Don Stafford retrospective will be held on Saturday evening. Media are welcome to attend. Day passes for the conference are also available.
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