25 Jul 2014

Elders' video interviews catalogued

7:40 am on 25 July 2014

A librarian in South Auckland is collating video interviews with kuia and koroua (grandmothers and grandfathers) from the area, to help keep their stories alive.

Eunice Te Rangiuaia has worked at the Otara Library for ten years and started interviewing local elders in 2010.

She has been sharing the interviews with the public during Maori Language Week.

Ms Te Rangiuaia, of Ngati Porou and Te Aupouri descent, said Otara had transformed so much, and it was important the stories from kaumatua (elders) were documented for future generations.

She said no-one was asking them about the old Otara, and the history was getting lost.

Ms Te Rangiuaia said the interviews would be stored in the Auckland Library's archive, Footprints.