November 21, 2014
Reo champion a local hero
Hawkes Bay kaumatua Matiu Eru has been named a Local Hero in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards.
He and the 200 other local heroes named over the next few weeks will go into the draw for a national prize next February.
Reverend Eru is kaumatua to Ngati Kahungunu, the New Zealand Police, Eastern Institute of Technology and the Hawke's Bay District Health Board.
The nomination is for his passion to integrate Maori language into the Hawke's Bay community.
"I was brought up the reo in Tuhoe and I like to keep our reo strong in Kahungunu. When I first came here 50 years ago, Pakeha reo all the time. But now a lot of aour marae and organisations are into tikanga Maori and reo Maori so kei te pai tera iaianei ," he says.
Reverend Eru says once you are a Maori, you are the caretaker for your iwi.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MATIU ERU CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjQyNzY=
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com