National Maori language award for Rotorua Library
10 November 2014
Rotorua District Council's Library has won the local government Māori Language Excellence Award in recognition of their commitment to Te Reo Maori. The presentation was made by Te Puni Kōkiri at the 2014 Māori Language Awards on Friday night [7 November].
This is the sixth year the library has been in the competition, and in 2012 they were a finalist in the same category.
The District Library picked up their award in their home town at the gala awards event staged by the Maori Language Commission - Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori.
The winning initiative included implementation of a long-term Māori Language strategy, and numerous quality activities throughout this year's Māori Language Week.
It's an acknowledgement of their efforts to make a sustainable Te Reo Māori strategy, that includes all levels of leadership within the organisation - right from the chief executive through to frontline staff who are the interfaces of the organisation to the public, says Te Puni Kōkiri chief executive Michelle Hippolite.
The initiative is a really fantastic model of working with iwi and is indicative of the dedication that is needed across Aotearoa, New Zealand, to increase the use of te reo Māori.
But I'm mostly delighted for all the staff who have put so much hard work into this initiative - the award is a fantastic recognition, she said.
Rotorua District Council chief executive Geoff Williams said he was particularly proud of the commitment by Rotorua District Library staff in helping to foster the use and understanding of the Māori language.
He said the library team had always provided a great example to the rest of his organisation and to others in the community.
Their recent efforts in support of te reo Māori have been something of a lighthouse that shines a very bright path for the rest of us to follow.
Rotorua District Council is committed to genuine collaboration with iwi and to working in real partnerships that acknowledge the traditions of the past. Te reo Māori is an important component of that heritage.
But we're equally committed to understanding and embracing the vibrant and dynamic Māori culture of today, something that as citizens of Rotorua, and of Aotearoa, we're all part of.
Continuing to build our capability in te reo Māori will enhance those levels of understanding and engender a greater sense of cultural togetherness. As the motto on our district crest so aptly says, it's about tātau, tātau - we together', said Mr Williams.
In total there were 31 finalists in 13 contestable categories. The awards were established to recognise Māori language excellence, innovation and success by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Māori Language Commission, in 2004.