Tēnā koutou katoa

September is a special time of the year when we celebrate the Māori language.  

This year is the 45th anniversary of Te Wiki.  Enthusiasm for Māori Language Week continues to grow every year, with many New Zealanders keen to raise awareness around what many in Aotearoa regard as a national taonga.  The theme of Te Wiki 2020 is again Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori – we can all do our bit to strengthen the language.

Our Playcentre Te Ao Māori team has been busy planning for Te Wiki for many weeks – they’ve come up with some great ideas and some great prizes for our Te Wiki o te Reo Māori competition. There’s a lot of information available about how we can celebrate and use te Reo Māori every day – including posters that can be downloaded for our Centres and offices.   

It’s all on the Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori pages on the website, so check it out and get in the draw for the whakataetae.  We’ll be doing updates during the month so keep an eye on Facebook and the website for more details – including whakataukī and kiwaha.  Our Māori Development Manager, Thomas Tawhiri, will also have more to tell you over the next few weeks, particularly about a special Te Wiki challenge!  

CFO Award

Congratulations to our CFO Marina Cook, who has been named as Emerging Financial Manager of the Year at the CFO Awards.

Marina’s ability to work with our non-financial members of Playcentre and take them through the necessary processes to understand what is required of them has resulted in a level of trust in her abilities that is quite remarkable for someone so early in her career.  

The value of the changes that Marina has introduced to the organisation is significant. They range from providing simplified reporting templates that have saved volunteers countless hours and stress to putting in place well-crafted financial policies and procedures that have ensured the organisation has increased its financial standing.

Marina’s award is well deserved

You can read more about Marina’s win here.

You can also read Marina’s latest Property and Finance update here. 

Ka kite anō au i a koutou.