Puketāpapa Local Board, Auckland Council staff and locals recently found a fun and interactive way to celebrate Māori Language Week.
Te reo Māori is one of the top languages spoken in Puketāpapa, and the local board brought together people the community at the Wesley Community Centre for a good old-fashioned game of bingo (also known as Housie); where the numbers were called out in te reo Māori. Teams played to win Maori Resource packs and other treats.
“We want to take every opportunity to make sure that te reo Māori is spoken, seen and heard as a normal part of everyday life,” says Puketāpapa Local Board Chair Julie Fairey.
"Many New Zealanders are familiar with counting in te reo Māori but we had some helpful large cheat cards on the wall should anyone have needed that additional support to help them remember."
The caller called out the numbers slowly and then repeated them. It got pretty competitive with participating teams representing our local police, the local Māori kuia-kaumatua group Te Roopu Kuia-Kaumatua o Owairaka, and 2 rangatahi representing the Puketapapa Youth Foundation (formerly known as the Puketapapa Youth Board).
Everyone adhered to the Level 2 COVID-19 protocol with no more than 10 participants and appropriate social distancing measures were in place.
The event was Facebook live-streamed from the Wesley Community Centre Facebook page.
