Te Arawa Lakes Trust chair Geoff Rolleston. Source / Te Tatau o Te Arawa
Te Arawa is throwing its backing behind moves for bilingual road signage describing it as opening the door to "exciting opportunities" and certain to enhance the Rotorua reorua (bilingual) journey.
Iwi-entity Te Arawa Lakes Trust, which represents Te Arawa hapū and whānau regarding the lakes settlement, and Te Tatau o Te Arawa, the Te Arawa partnership with Rotorua Lakes Council, are supporting the Waka Kotahi initiative to introduce bilingual road signage in Aotearoa.
Both agree that it makes sense to adopt the signage - despite the political debate that has ensued this past week - because "reorua is visible everywhere across Aotearoa and te reo is a part of every New Zealanders vocabulary," they said Tuesday in a release.
Rotorua declared its intention to advance as a bilingual city and district back in August 2017, pledging to support and promote both te reo Māori and English but has been constrained by "complexities", said Te Arawa Lakes Trust chair Geoff Rolleston (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu, Ngai te Rangi, Te Whānau o Tauwhao ki Rangiwaea). However, recent developments have him excited.
"Limited progress has been made to date due to the complexities of the law, but the recent actions by Waka Kotahi and Te Mātāwai have opened the door to exciting opportunities," he said.
Te Tatau o Te Arawa chair James Hamiora believes it reflects "why Aotearoa is special".
“E mihi ana ki ngā rōpū nei me a rāua mahi rangatira. Waka Kotahi with guidance and support from Te Mātāwai demonstrates the power of partnership," he said.
"Their collaboration reflects why Aotearoa is special to locals and international visitors who travel from all corners of the globe to New Zealand. Te Tatau o Te Arawa and Te Arawa Lakes Trust are penning a submission of support for reorua road signage because it enhances our local communal efforts to advance as a bilingual city and district so te reo is seen, heard and celebrated alongside the English language.”
The introduction of reorua road signage builds on the efforts of the late Hawea Vercoe, former principal of Te Kura o Rotoiti, the release said.
He championed the inclusion of the te reo Māori sign "Kura" on their school bus. Since then similar signs around Lake Rotoiti and on school buses have become commonplace.
"The recent stance taken by some political parties, suggesting that having bilingual signs on roads is 'too difficult' and that 'people would not understand,' contradicts the positions previously taken by the National Party and the Māori Party, which is disappointing," said Rolleston.
Speaking to TVNZ's Breakfast on Wednesday, Te Mātāwai co-chair Reikura Kahi said the current signs would be phased out over a number of years.
"It's going to be a cost effective roll out, so signs will only be changed in about 10 or 20 years time."
While the change will not be quick, Kahi said it will however be significant for the revitalisation of te reo Māori.
