Revitalising and maintaining the Ngāti Whakaue dialect and customs is the focus of a week long hui known as Ngāti Whakaue Kura reo an initiative which links back to Te Taumata ō Ngāti Whakaue Iho Ake.
Spokesperson for the event, Kingi Biddle says the foundations of the gathering arose from the late Rawiri Rangitauira and Mitai Rolleston, “three years ago Ngāti Whakaue began building its capacity regarding speakers and callers on their Marae and out of that need the kura reo was discussed as well as a series of workshops dedicated to lifting the standards of knowledge regarding Ngāti Whakaue.”
The Ngāti Whakaue Kura reo began on Monday and is being held at the Tangatarua Marae, Waiariki Institute of Technology. There are over 80 people attending the event which has a number of workshops and includes Māori lectures from noted Māori speakers Tawini Rangihau, Kahurangi Maxwell and Rawiri Waru.
Rawiri Waru says, “It's only right for Ngāti Whakaue to uplift Ngāti Whakaue in regards to everything about us, this includes the language.”
There is also a section dedicated to the young and teenage sections of the tribe being that it’s school holidays. The Ngāti Whakaue Kura reo is set to finish this Friday.
Ngāti Whakaue has a population of 8,337 people, or 1.2 percent of the total population of Maori descent.