​Professor Emeritus Poia Rewi (Tūhoe, Ngāti Manawa, Te Arawa) was formerly Dean of Te Tumu, School of Māori, Pacific & Indigenous Studies, University of Otago. His teaching, research and practice included Indigenous language revitalisation, te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, Māori oratory, Māori performing arts and Māori history. Having taught in the tertiary sector for 30 years, Poia now works for Te Mātāwai, an independent organisation whose goal is to return the Māori language as the nurturing first language in the home “kia ūkaipō anō te reo”. ​

Are those “closest to the problem also the closest to the solution”? (Reikura Kahi 2022)

Te Mātāwai is a partner with the Crown in revitalising the Māori language. This presentation shares the experiences of Te Mātāwai, an independent statutory entity established in 2016 to provide leadership on behalf of iwi and Māori in their role as kaitiaki of the Māori language; and to support, inform, and influence the Crown’s initiatives in protecting, promoting, and revitalising the Māori language. In applying the assertion in the title that those “closest to the problem (are) also the closest to the solution”, Te Mātāwai presenters will share observations and insights from the past six years in terms of Te Mātāwai‘s functions, its investments, the challenges it has faced and the results.