Matariki celebrations 2021 

Celebrating Matariki will always be a great way to signify and practice good biculturalism, and this year was exceptional! Centres managed their celebrations with a greater sense of belonging and inclusion, trusting each other, the possibilities for our tamariki  and the process leading up to it, developing a passion for Matariki in 2021.    

The Māori development team identified  a  culture of empowerment this year through readying resources, leveraging our social media platforms and getting our Centre Advisors to plant the seed. 

It takes a while to get to grips with what goes into celebrating Māori Calendar events in a truly authentic way and what you can expect or hope for in terms of tikanga, te reo an  kaiako support. This is what can be so important about your Centre Bicultura  Officer, Centre Advisor, and Kaihononga Māori (Previously known as the Te Ao Māori Field Worker).    

We want Kaiako to give each other the permission to delve into Te Ao Māori, knowing they are supported if they get tired or stumped on something.  Playcentre is a safe space to explore Māori culture, leveraging  Matariki  as that Ara Poutama (stepping stone) is a perfect way to do that as you can see from some our  Centres  across Aotearoa that celebrated Matariki this year,  learning  about  and honoring Māori culture in their own special ways.    

 

Translations 

Tēnā rā tātou e te whānau whānui o Te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi, 

We have been hearing lots of kōrero about translations lately,  so we thought we would address this with this blanket response which will hopefully help many of you. 

 
Official Documents 

If the translation you are looking for is for policy/values/philosophy etc. a document that is official and long lasting in your centre- then we would strongly advise you to get in contact with a professional translator.  There aren’t always easy exact translations to everything and it is a special skill to be able to translate, not everyone who can speak two languages can translate from one to the other and good translations take time and a lot of prior study. 
 

Here are some links to good options for translation; 

 

Ōkupu 

This is a service where you pay per word so this would be a really good option for a small amount of words. It is not expensive. (They are all trusted translators) http://www.okupu.co.nz/ 

You can get it as an app ōkupu or search ōkupu on Facebook. 
 

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori 

This is a list of everyone who has passed Te Taura Whiri i te Reo translator examination. https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/en/services/national-translators-and-interpreters-register/ 
 

Resources 

If it is for a less official documents/resources we suggest; 

  • Only write/create resources within your ability
  • Use the many available Playcentre resources, rather than recreatingresources 
  • Use trusted sources to create resources and use the sentences in their entirety unless you have enough understanding to accurately alter them
  • Don’t use google translate unless you have enough of an understanding to be able to tell when it is incorrect 
  • We recommend using the online dictionary- Māori Dictionary (co.nz)to spell check kupu 
     

Does your centre have a Bicultural Officer or do you want to find out more about this fun role? 

As AGM’s draw near, we would love to see every Centre in Aotearoa fill the Bicultural officer role! 

He kaiwhakaihuwaka Māori – a champion for te ao Māori. You can bring passion and enthusiasm to this role, promote calendar events like te wiki o te reo Māori, or recently celebrated Matariki!  Work with centre whānau to advocate to use more Te Reo Māori, karakia and waiata-a-ringa, and encourage bicultural practice. 

If this sounds like you, please get in touch with your regional Kaihononga Māori (formerly known as the Te Ao Māori Field Worker) and keep an eye out for our upcoming bicultural officer training!