Robin Hakopa – Te Reo Māori

Kaupapa

This memorial trophy was presented to Te Rōpū Whakahau at the Hui-ā-tau, Wellington 14-15 Huitanguru 2001. It represents the importance of te reo and tikanga to Māori cultural identity and Robin’s personal contribution and commitment to librarianship.  The award recognises the recipient’s commitment in promoting te reo and tikanga Māori within the library profession. This award will be presented annually at the Te Rōpū Whakahau Hui-ā-Tau.

Criteria

• The award will be presented to a member who has shown initiative, creativity, dedication and promotion of Te Reo and Tikanga Māori within libraries and within Te Rōpū Whakahau.
• Any member may be nominated, but all nominees must consent to their inclusion.
• Nominations for the award must be written and can be submitted at anytime during the year, with the closing date of one week prior to hui-ā-tau of each year. Email nominations to trw@trw.org.nz 
• A nomination for the award must include a written account stating how the nominee has shown initiative, creativity, dedication and promotion of te reo and tikanga Māori within libraries and/or within Te Rōpū Whakahau.
• The recipient will present a formal address detailing their efforts and activities during the year at the next Te Rōpū Whakahau Hui-ā-Tau, just prior to the presentation to the next recipient.
• The recipient is expected to be available to judge Te Kura Pounamu awards.
• Ngā Kaiwhakahau will shortlist applicants for the award and select a recipient.

List of Recipients

2003 – Ann Reweti
2004 – Raniera Kingi
2005 – Haneta Pierce
2006 – Anahera Morehu
2007 – Alice Heather
2008 – Nekenekeiterangi Paul
2009 – Sandy Nepia
2010 – Raewyn Paewai
2011 – Cellia Joe-Olsen
2012 – Jacinta Paranihi
2013 – Hemi Rukuwai Jury
2014 – Te Rangirangi Tangohau
2015 – Sheeanda Field
2016 – Ariana Tikao
2017 – Jacqueline Snee

2019 – Francis Leaf 

2020 – Taina Tangaere McGregor

2021 – Dale Cousens

‘He aha rā kei te tau o taku ate e hahae ake nei?

            E ko te mamae ki te ngaro o taku reo

            Warea kē ana ngā whakahaere Māori o te motu

            Me te iwi whānui hoki ki te reo o tauiwi

            Me pēhea kē hoki e ora ai ki te whērā?”

            (He whiti o tētahi ngeri nā te Kapa Haka o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato)

The Robin Hakopa Memorial Award represents the importance of te reo and tikanga to Māori cultural identity and Robins personal contribution and commitment to librarianship.

This award recognises the recipient’s commitment to promoting te reo and tikanga Māori within the library profession. 

This recipient begun their reo journey as an adult.  In the past few years they have made significant progress in this journey, and these efforts have not gone unnoticed.

This person has shown initiative, by initiating supportive projects.  One was a koha based creative initiative, that was well received by both participants and Te Rōpū Whakahau members, who were beneficiaries.  They show their dedication and promotion of te reo and tikanga Māori within their library and within Te Rōpū Whakahau constantly.  They have written waiata in te reo, that their workplace sings.  They encourage use of te reo through workplace waiata, and to me this is their super-power.  They are also a great representative of their iwi at work functions, especially functions that have an element of tikanga.

This person is Dale Cousens.

 Ko te raro tēnei o te tau Pākehā nei.  He wā e rika ai a tamariki ki te hararei, e pōkaikaha ai a mātua, e ngiha ai a Tamanuiterā, e karawhiuwhiu ai a Tāwhirimatea rānei.  Heoi, anei anō mātau o Te Rōpu Whakahau e whakanuia tonutia tō tātau reo rangatira.  Ka mau te wehi.

He wahine hūmārie a Dale, ā, e rata nui ana āna hoamahi, te hunga hūiki, nguengue rānei, ki a ia.  Ko ia hoki te kaiwhakahaere o ngā mea waiata katoa ki roto i te whare pukapuka nei.  Nā tōna āhua aroha, tōna ngākau māhaki kua tipu ake taua tira waiata, ā, kei te waiatatia tonutia rātau.  Wawau ana!

Hei tauira ki a tātou, e whai ake nei ngā waiata kua tuhia e Dale, hei painga mō te tini e mahi ana ki Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.

Te Tahuhu Iringa Kōrero

Taina H Tangaere McGregor (2020)

Ko taku reo taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria.

Attached is an episode of Waka Huia in which Taina discusses her career as Oral Historian, Maori: YouTube

Taina McGregor is a worthy winner of the Robin Hakopa Memorial
Award. She epitomizes the qualities the award stands for and has spent
her entire life living, speaking, and preserving te reo.
Taina grew up on the East Coast hearing te reo at home and in the
community. As a 19-year-old she boarded her first plane and arrived in
Wellington. She met her husband to be, married and raised a family.
At this time, she pursued academic studies and began her lifelong
commitment to telling the stories of the men and women whose lives
were impacted by World War II. She completed her Masters thesis on
the role of Māori women before, during and after World War II, was
Principal Interviewer on the C Company Oral History Project and is a
Trustee on the Ngā Taonga a Ngā Tama Toa Trust.
In her 20 years as Oral Historian at the Alexander Turnbull Library she
has trained iwi, hapū and whānau around the country, ensuring the
voices of their koroua, kuia, aunties and uncles are preserved. She gives voice to people who may otherwise not be heard. These personal
reflections throw new light on the past.  
Taina’s commitment to te reo extends to ensuring that delicacies of
regional variations in te reo are preserved. This is both through her mahi where she encourages communities to use their kīwaha and kupu
whakarite but also in the way she shares her own Ngāti Porou reo and
spirit. Her exclamation ‘E hika mā’ is almost as much her trademark as
her perfect nails and hair. 
A generous teacher, Taina fosters and supports the use of te reo in the
National Library. Her generosity to share her knowledge and her
patience gives her colleagues the confidence to kōrero. 
Taina works tirelessly to preserve te reo and is a truly deserving winner of the Robin Hakopa Memorial Award.

This nomination is made by Tharron Bloomfield (Project Curator, Maori – Auckland Museum), Vicki-Anne Heikell (Field Conservator – National Library of New Zealand) and Mereana Taungapeau (Pou Herenga Manager – Auckland Museum).