Te Mātāwai and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have agreed to make joint decisions on the next set of bilingual traffic signs that are expected to progress to public consultation later in 2022.
The He Tohu Huarahi Māori Partnership Rōpū will be supported by a multi-disciplinary team from both organisations and an expert panel of te reo Māori translators from across the motu. Te Mātāwai is an authority derived from Iwi and Māori and is the Crown partner for Māori language revitalisation.
Te Mātāwai Board Co-Chair Reikura Kahi says she and fellow partnership rōpū member Mātai Smith are clear that their focus will be on ensuring iwi Māori views are heard and acted on so that iwi and Māori identity is enhanced at the local level.
“Our vision is Kia ūkaipō anō te reo, to restore te reo Māori as the nurturing first language in the home.
“We have seen the commitment to our language increase in the media, on television, in supermarkets and contemporary music, so seeing more te reo Māori at a community level where whānau live and play is a logical and critical next step.”
Supported by Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport and Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Māori Māori Language Commission, the final groups of signs will be shared for feedback with a wider iwi/Māori audience and Local Government, who will be responsible for implementing the signs on local roads. Public consultation will also be required as the signs involve making official Rule changes.
Director of Land Transport Kane Patena says the Waka Kotahi vision of contributing to having te reo Māori seen heard and spoken is aligned with Te Mātāwai.
“We are excited about the energy, expertise and commitment to te reo Māori that Te Mātāwai brings to the tēpu. And we expect to make decisions as a Partnership Rōpū that will uphold our values of kotahitanga and manaakitanga.
“Bilingual signs have been used on the roads for some time but progressing these groups of signs at once will help with more consistent, cost-effective and safe use across Aotearoa New Zealand.”
It’s currently expected the bilingual signs will be implemented as new projects are progressed or as older or damaged signs need to be replaced.
A Kura School signs suite was released for public consultation late last year.. An announcement will be made in due course and will include the final specifications for the signs.
Numerous countries use bilingual signs and no evidence was found of bilingual signage increasing the number of people being killed or seriously injured where this has been measured (for example in Scotland).
Note: He Tohu Huarahi Māori Partnership Rōpū members are Te Mātāwai Board Co-Chair Reikura Kahi, Board member Mātai Smith, Director of Land Transport Kane Patena and Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Māori Nicholas Manukau.
Photo caption: He Tohu Huarahi Māori Partnership Rōpū members Te Mātāwai Board Chair Reikura Kahi, Board member Mātai Smith, Director of Land Transport Kane Patena and Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Māori Nicholas Manukau at one of their first hui.
Kua whakaae tahi a Te Mātāwai me Waka Kotahi kia hanga whakatau ngātahi mō ngā tohu ikiiki reorua e whai ake ka heria kia kōrerorero tahitia e te iwi whānui hei te tōmuritanga o te tau 2022 nei.
Ka tautokona te Rōpū He Tohu Huarahi Māori e tētahi rōpū pūkenga maha mai i ngā whakahaere e rua me tētahi rōpū mātanga kaiwhakamāori reo Māori nō te motu whānui. Ko Te Mātāwai te mana i ahu mai i ngā Iwi me te Māori, ā, ko rātau te hoa pātui o te Karauna mō te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori.
Hei tā te Tiamana Takirua a Reikura Kahi e mārama tahi ana rāua ko Mātai Smith o taua rōpū ki te whakarite ka rongohia ngā whakaaro o te iwi Māori, ā, ka whāia hei whakarei ake i te tuakiri o te iwi me te Māori i te roto i ngā iwi.
"Ko tā mātou matakitenga, Kia ūkaipō anō te reo, ko te whakarauora i te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi i te kāinga.
"Kua kite mātau i te piki o te pūmautanga ki te reo Māori i roto i te ao pāpāho, i runga pouaka whakaata, i rō toa hokomaha me ngā puoro onāianei, nō reira ka tika kia tahuri atu ki roto i ngā hapori e noho ana, e mahi ngahau ana ngā whānau te mahi mō te reo Māori ināianei."
Mā te tautoko hoki a Te Manatū Waka me Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, ka tuarihia ngā tohu whakamutunga kia kōrerohia e tētahi rōpū whānui ake ā-iwi, ā-Māori me ngā Kaunihera, ka riro mā rātau e whakauru haere i ngā tohu ki ngā rori. E herea ana kia whakawhitiwhiti kōrero tūmatanuitia anō i te mea he whakarerekētanga whaimana ēnei tohu ki te Ture.
Hei tā te Whakataka o Waka Kotahi a Kane Patena ko te whakakitenga a Waka Kotahi ki te tautoko kia kitea, kia kōrerohia te reo Māori kei te hāngai ki Te Mātāwai.
"Kua hihiri katoa mātou i te ihi, ngā pūkenga me te pūmau ki te reo Māori kua kawea mai e Te Mātāwai ki te tēpu. Ko tā mātou e tūmanako ana hei Rōpū Pātui ka ū tonu mātou ki ngā uara o te kotahitanga me te manaakitanga.
"Kua whakamahia ngā tohu reorua ki ngā rori mō tētahi wā engari mā te kōkiri haere tonu i ēnei tohu i te wā kotahi ka āwhina kia ōrite ake, kia ngāwari te utu me te whakamahi haumaru puta noa i Aotearoa."
Ko te tūmanako i tēnei wā ka whakatinanahia ngā tohu reorua i te wā e kōkirihia ngā kaupapa hou, ina whakakapia rānei ngā tohu tawhito, pakaru rānei.
I whakaputaina he huinga tohu Kura School kia kōrerorerohia ngātahitia e te iwi whānui i te pito o tērā tau. Kei te whiriwhiri te Minita o Te Manatū Waka i ngā kōrero tohutohu a ngā āpiha hei whakatau i tētahi huringa ki te ture. Ka whakaputaina he kōrero ā tōna wā, ā, kei roto i tēnei ko ngā takotoranga whakamutunga mō ngā tohu.
Kua whakahautia e Waka Kotahi he rangahau hei tautuhi i ngā tauira kei tāwāhi me te āta tirotiro i ngā pānga haumaru o ngā tohu reorua. He maha ngā whenua e whakamahi ana i ngā tohu reorua, ā, kāore i kitea he whakaaturanga e tohu ana i piki te maha o te hunga i mate, i whara kino rānei nā ngā tohu reorua i ngā wāhi i inea tēnei (hei tauira i Kotirana).
Ngā rangahau mō ngā tohu reorua
Kia mōhio: Ko ngā mema o te Rōpū Pātui He Tohu Huarahi Māori ko Tiamana-Takirua o Te Mātāwai a Reikura Kahi, Mema poari a Mātai Smith, Te Tumu Waeture o Waka Kotahi a Kane Patena me te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o Waka Kotahi a Māori Nicholas Manukau.
Tapanga whakaahua: Ngā mema o te Rōpū Pātui He Tohu Huarahi Māori ko Tiamana-Takirua o Te Mātāwai a Reikura Kahi, Mema poari a Mātai Smith, Te Tumu Waeture o Waka Kotahi a Kane Patena me te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o Waka Kotahi a Māori Nicholas Manukau tētahi o ā rātau hui tuatahi.
