This week we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), as September 14 commemorates the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to parliament. 

We are all encouraged to use this Wiki o te Reo Māori to ‘welcome Māori language into our lives’ (whakauruamai hoki te reo Māori ki tōu ao), and to ‘learn a little, use a little’ (ahakoa iti, akona, kōrerohia). Why don’t you also go on a virtual treasure hunt and learn a little about the Māori names, and what’s behind them, for Aldersgate and some of our centre’s rooms:

• Toi Gallery – refers to a gallery of art, knowledge, what we created 
• Wānanga Room – refers to a room of learning, discussion, deliberation 
• Do you know the proper name for our whakamaumahara contemplative garden? (CLUE: You can find it on our website, in the section on facility hire)

In 2018, in conversation with Dr Terry Ryan (Kaitaunaki Whakapapa, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and life-long association with Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa), we quickly agreed the full name for the rebuilt centre would be: Aldersgate | Your Gathering Place | Puari Huinga. Click on the link to find out what Huinga means, what Puari refers to, why this name was an clear choice for us, and the heritage we commemorate. 

PS: Did you also know that before European missionaries and te Tiriti o Waitangi, the first Methodist preacher and evangelist to lead worship in Canterbury was Tawao-nui-a-Tane, who visited Koukourarata (Port Levy) in 1839? More of this in the upcoming Our Story page on our website.

Kia kaha whanau, kia kaha te reo Māori