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02 May 2010

"Ki te ngaro to tātou reo i roto i ēnei mahi kua ngaro mātou nei ehara i te Māori - he ata o te Māori."
If we don't use our language in everything we do then we are only mere shadows of our forebears.
This week's whakatāuki was explained by Karl Leonard nō Te Arawa

This month an art exhibition called Mai te Whenua - Of the Land opened at the Rotorua Museum. Different works are on display from expert weavers of Aotearoa and abroad. Edna Pahewa has followed her mother's legacy (Emily Shuster, 1927-1997) and has been weaving since the age of ten. Now as the head of weaving at Te Puia and chairwoman of the Aotearoa weavers collective, Te Roopu Rāranga Whatu o Aotearoa, Edna has her piupiu on display alongside a hat her mother created. Justine Murray spoke to Edna at this year's Indigenous Weavers International Symposium.

At age 26 Cam Ferguson took just over sixteen minutes to shear twenty sheep at this years 50th anniversary of the Golden Shears in Masterton - it was enough for him to take out the top prize. Cam was brought up in a shearing whanau in Central Hawkes Bay so it seemed inevitable that he would end up working in the sheds. Cam is set to work in the sheds in Italy and he will also compete in the World Shearing competition in Wales in July. Justine Murray spoke to Cam at his home in Waipawa.

When it comes to revitalising te reo Māori in Aotearoa, how do we compare to our Pacific cousins? Justine Murray gained insight into the state of the Hawaiian language when she met Paulette Kahalepuna at the International Weavers Indigenous Symposium in Rotorua.

Paulette Kahalepuna
Paulette Kahalepuna.

A featured Lei made by PauletteA featured Lei made by Paulette.