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MEDIA STATEMENT
16 June 2016
Iwi from Tai Rāwhiti have selected Jeremy Tātere MacLeod to be a member of Te Mātāwai – the new organisation set to lead the revitalisation of te reo Māori on behalf of iwi and Māori.
Mr MacLeod (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa te au ki te Tonga, Rangitāne) 29, works as Director of Te Reo, Tikanga and Mātauranga for Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi.
Selwyn Parata chairman Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou and spokesperson for the selection group, said a high calibre of candidates had been nominated for the position and had been treated with honor and respect. He said Mr MacLeod had a lot to offer Te Mātāwai.
“He’s young and actively working with his iwi to retain and promote their reo. He is a practitioner of te reo and he and his partner are good role models for young whānau. We are confident he will be able to represent all the iwi in Tai Rāwhiti,” he said.
“We have also agreed to establish a ‘Tuara’, representative of all Tai Rāwhiti Iwi to support Jeremy,” Mr Parata said.
Te Tai Rāwhiti is the first of seven iwi clusters established under the new Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Act) to appoint a member to Te Mātāwai.
Mr Parata said iwi from Tai Rāwhiti had been meeting together since the initial hui at Te poho o Rawiri where former Māori Affairs Minister Hon Pita Sharples presented the proposed bill.
Mr MacLeod said it was an honour to be selected and he hoped to bring commitment, determination and innovation to Te Mātāwai.
“I am committed to the revitalisation and survival of te reo Māori within the entire Tai Rāwhiti region, including the safe-guarding of unique tribal dialectal variations.
“I’m also a second language learner so I bring with me the experiences, hardships and barriers faced by second language learners who desire to be proficient in the language. I bring the passion of a parent dedicated to raising two bi-lingual children and ensuring te reo Māori is the primary language in our home,” he said.
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Contact for media:
Selwyn Parata – 027 299 0160
Jeremy MacLeod – 027 454 5640
Under Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori and for the purposes of selecting a member for Te Mātāwai, Te Tai Rāwhiti cluster includes these iwi:
