The bilingual kura school signs project, led by Te Mātāwai and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, has won an Australasian award for engagement.
Kua riro i te hōtaka o ngā tohu waka reorua mō ngā kura, nā Te Mātawai me Waka Kotahi, he whakamānawa Ahitereiriana mō te whai wāhitanga.
I toa te hōtaka nei i te whakamānawa i tētahi hui i Piripane, Ahitereiria nā te International Association for Public Participation i te Australasia Core Values Award i te Wenerei te 25 o Oketopa.
E whakamihi ana te whakamānawa nei i te ara tuku kōrero i te tau 2022 i para ai i te huarahi kia huhua ngā momo tohu ‘Kura’ ka whakatūtū haere i ngā huarahi puta noa i Aotearoa.
I te hōtaka nei, i nui te whai wāhi mai o ngā hapori Māori, o ngā mātanga reo, o ngā manatū whakahaere waka, o ngā ahumahi, me ērā atu o ngā kiripānga ki te whakawhanake me te whakatū haere i ngā tohu waka reorua mō ngā kura. Mā roto i Te Mātāwai i āhei ai ngā iwi, ngā hapū, me ngā mātanga reo ki te whakapuaki i ō rātou whakaaro.
Hei tā te Hoa-Toihau o Te Mātāwai, hei tā Reikura Kahi, he tauira pai te hōtaka rā o te mahi tahi, me te aha, hua ake ana te whai wāhitanga mai o te hapori me te kōkiritanga hoki o ngā mahi whakarauora reo i ngā hapori.
“Mā te whai wāhitanga mai o ngā hapori Māori ki te hoahoa me te whiriwhiri i ngā tohu reorua mō ngā kura, ka whakaaturia rā i ngā tohu ō rātou mātāpono, ō rātou mariutanga, me ō rātou wawata. Kua whai arawātea hoki kia nui ake ai te kitea me te kōrerohia o te reo Māori e ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i ia rā.”
I roto i te ara tuku kōrero mō ngā tohu kura, i 90% te tapeke o te hunga whakaae ki ēnei tohu.
Hei tā te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o te Pūnaha Hautū o Waka Kotahi, hei tā Chris Bunny, he mea waiwai tā te Māori ārahi i tana whai wāhi mai.
“E hiahia ana ahau ki te mihi ki Te Mātāwai me ngā poari ā-rohe, mei kore ake tā rātou ārahi, tā rātou whakakitenga ka kore nei mātou e āhei ki te tūhono atu ki ngā mātanga reo me te tuari i ō rātou whakaaro mō tā rātou taonga, arā, mō te reo Māori.
“Nā te mahi tahi ki ngā mātanga marutau me ngā mātanga waeture, kua mōhio mātou e marutau ana ngā tohu ka whakatūria e mātou. Nā konā, ka kite, ka pāhekoheko tahi ngā tāngata o Aotearoa ki te reo Māori i ngā huarahi huri noa i Aotearoa.”
E whakamihi ana te IAP2 Australasia Core Values Awards i ngā hōtaka me ngā umanga ko ō rātou ihu kei mua mō te whai wāhitanga mai o te pāpori whānui me te hapori. I whakamihi ngā kaiwhakawā i te hinonga tohu reorua mō ngā kura i te auaha me te kauawhi o te rautaki i whai wāhi mai ai te Māori me tana whakatairanga i te reo Māori hei reo ora.
He kōrero whakamārama:
He wāhanga ngā tohu Kura nō te hōtaka He Tohu Huarahi Māori e whai ana kia whakatūria mai ngā tohu waka reorua i Aotearoa. Kāore anō kia puta te whakatau mō ngā huinga tohu reorua i tukuna ki te pāpori whānui hei ara tuku kōrero mā rātou i roto i te tau. Mō te roanga atu o ngā pārongo, toro atu ki: He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs programme | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (nzta.govt.nz)
Ko IAP2 tētahi tōpūtanga mema nō tāwāhi e whai ana kia whakatairanga, kia whakapai ake hoki i ngā tukanga o te whai wāhitanga e whai pānga ana ki ngā whenua katoa huri i te ao. Ka whakawhiwhia atu e IAP2 ētahi whakamānawa i ia tau mō te Tauira Tiketike, e mōhiotia nei ko Core Values awards. Mō te roanga atu o ngā pārongo mō te IAP2 Australasia Core Values Awards, tēnā, toro atu ki IAP2 Australasia: 2023 Core Values Awards - IAP2 Australasia(external link)
The bilingual kura school signs project, led by Te Mātāwai and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, has won an Australasian award for engagement.
The project won the International Association for Public Participation (Iap2) Australasia Core Values Award for Indigenous Engagement at a ceremony in Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday 25 October.
The award recognises the 2022 engagement process that paved the way for several different types of Kura School signs to be put on state highways and local roads across Aotearoa New Zealand.
The project involved extensive engagement with Māori communities, language experts, road controlling authorities, industry and other stakeholders to develop and implement bilingual school signs. Through Te Mātāwai, local iwi and hapū language champions provided their views.
Te Mātāwai Board Co-Chair Reikura Kahi said the project was a great example of how partnership can increase community participation and lead to language revitalisation where communities live.
“By involving Māori communities in the design and consultation of the bilingual kura school signs, we have ensured that the signs reflect their values, preferences, and aspirations. We have also created an opportunity for more New Zealanders to see and speak te reo Māori in their everyday lives.”
The kura school sign public consultation process resulted in 90% of people who submitted being in favour of the signs.
Waka Kotahi General Manager Systems Leadership Chris Bunny said Māori led involvement was crucial.
“I would like to mihi to Te Mātāwai and their regional boards, because without their leadership and foresight we would not have been able to connect with te reo Māori language champions and enable them to share their views on their taonga, te reo Māori.
“Working alongside our safety and regulatory experts we enabled signs that we know are safe and will lead to New Zealanders seeing and interacting with te reo Māori on the transport network across Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The IAP2 Australasia Core Values Awards recognise and encourage projects and organisations that are at the forefront of public participation and community engagement. The judges praised the bilingual kura school signs project for its innovative and inclusive approach to engaging with Māori and promoting te reo Māori as a living language.
Background:
The Kura School signs are part of the He Tohu Huarahi Māori programme which is aiming to enable a number of bilingual traffic signs in Aotearoa New Zealand. Decisions have not yet been made on a package of bilingual signs which was released for public consultation earlier this year. For more information visit: He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs programme | Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (nzta.govt.nz)
IAP2 is an international association of members who seek to promote and improve the practice of public participation that affects the public interest in nations throughout the world. IAP2 awards annually a series of awards in Best Practice known as the Core Values awards. For more information about the IAP2 Australasia Core Values Awards, visit IAP2 Australasia: 2023 Core Values Awards - IAP2 Australasia(external link)
