A week-long Māori education course at Arahura Marae has helped instil confidence in Department of Conservation (DoC) staff from Te Waipounamu when visiting marae and working with Māori people.
About forty-five DoC workers from around the South Island took part in workshops on Māori culture and protocols.
DoC workers from as far south as Franz Josef to Nelson/Marlborough spent the week learning te reo Māori introductions, role-playing of Māori legends specific to Arahura, and performing their speeches and songs in te reo Māori.
Poutini Kāi Tahu representative on DoC, Rauhine Coakley was a great advocate for our marae as she was able to assist the rōpū in sharing and building networks and relationships.
The rōpū in front of our whare tipuna, Tūhuru.