"In the reo revitalisation movement the near loss of the Mฤori language is compared with the extinction of the moa. While language is essential to its people, a sense of common purpose and a commitment to unity is essential to a culturally diverse nation.
For the wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand well into the future, we need a unified commitment to our common good. Our understanding of what is good and how to achieve it can vary but at the heart of it we all need strong, healthy relationships, a stable society, and the ability to create generational wealth without ruining our habitats. In short, we need collective hope.
In reo Mฤori, “kia tลซ te tลซmanako” (let hope endure).
The Huia People / Te Huia Tangata initiative encourages us to develop a unified sense of who we are as a nation of people from different backgrounds, united in a common treaty, and flourishing together as Mฤori and Pฤkehฤ (including all subsequent migrants)—tangata whenua and tangata te Tiriti. Huia People are hope-fuelled people, committed to a common vision of a thriving nation where no-one is left behind.
Kia tลซ te tลซmanako. Kia kore e ngaro, pฤnei i te huia
(Let hope endure. So that it is not lost, like the huia bird)"
Dr Jay Mฤtenga, Intercultural Specialist
