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He taonga te reo Māori language week 24 30 July 2000

Featuring Taonga-a-Rohe local treasures

Kei te mihi mahana ki a koutou mo o koutou manaakitanga ki te kauapa nei.

Te wiki o te reo Māori is one of the many ways that Christchurch City Libraries can claim to be on a bicultural path leading into the 21^st Century. This is not to say that we are not also multicultural; rather it reinforces how far we have come in our cultural journey. Evidence of that journey is very visible; you only have to visit all of our 12 libraries to see what has been accomplished. Bilingual signs are now the norm; no longer do we need to make a request to include te reo it is done automatically. We have also developed an annual Bicultural Services Plan, which highlights our directions and our bicultural achievements so far. Lessons in te reo for Christchurch City Council staff is available on a regular basis and attendance at these classes is growing rapidly.

Take/Theme

The focus of this year's Māori Language Week is 'Taonga-a-Rohe' local treasures.

We have many talented people in our rohe (area) and one way to share their talents with you is to feature them in our lunch time events which run between 122pm throughout Te wiki o te reo Māori .

In line with this theme we are delighted to announce that during te wiki o te reo Māori we will be launching another new electronic resource called 'Tī Kōuka Whenua a symbol for our city'.

christchurchcitylibraries.com/TiKoukaWhenua/

The seeds for this project were planted in May 1999. The demand for information on local Māori history was growing rapidly and there just didn't seem to be a resource available that would provide all the information in a format that was not only educational but also captured the imagination of those seeking it. I decided to pursue the idea of developing an internet resource as it offered the opportunity to utilise modern technology to produce a dynamic resource which would be a living reminder of the past.

The following is an example of the information you will discover at this site and the reason for the distinct name of the site:

"Imagine a distant past where the mist and fog shrouded flatlands spread out towards the sea and were rich with bird and water life. There were few landmarks emerging from the mists of what was then essentially swampland. If the hills were obscured by weather, there was no way of knowing where you were. That is if it were not for the ti kouka (cabbage trees) that were carefully planted in significant places to mark out routes across the land like green spiky beacons."

"In the depths of winter in the low lying areas of Christchurch it is not hard to recall that our city was originally a swamp. And that was its attraction to Māori , for the sprawl of wetlands that linked Kaiapoi to Christchurch and extended out to Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) provided abundant food sources and defensive positions.

Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region has a vibrant past of which few people are aware. There are only minimal visual reminders of any history prior to colonial settlement. However as this website will enable you to discover, we have a rich and intriguing past that extends back many hundreds of years before 1850. Increasing awareness and knowledge of this past is the primary aim of this website. We hope that it will enrich your understanding of your surroundings and enhance your current perceptions of the city in which we live."

This wonderful new taonga was the collective work of myself, Helen Brown, and Simone Hindin, with the technical support and expertise of our IT colleagues, Fraser Graham and Paul Sutherland. A special mention also to Kirk Hargreaves, who used his photography skills to capture all the beautiful images throughout the site. Come along on Wednesday 26 July between 12 2pm to see the launch of this new product.

I welcome your comments to ensure that this site continues to be informative and educational. It is also a way of involving ongoing community participation in this important project.

Haneta Pierce
Māori Resources & Services Librarian
E-mail: library@ccc.govt.nz