Te Rōpū Whakahau supports the following statement (2015):

Kaupapa | Position Statement

Ngā Upoko Tukutuku provides ubiquitous access to taonga
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku is a list of Māori language terms that enables quality access and findability for te reo Māori language users and Te Ao Māori thinkers to items held in any collection, and is a valuable resource for all industries.

Mahi | Implementation

  • Ngā Upoko Tukutuku terms should be applied to all items held in a collection and not limited to  resources by, for and about Māori.
  • Updated Ngā Upoko Tukutuku terms should be implemented as and when available.
  • Retrospective changes to records are recommended  to ensure consistency and support a nationwide standard of good practice.

Kōrero Whakataki | Background

There has been a signficiant shift and noticeable increased use of te reo since the early 1980’s.  Many international residents are taking the opportunity to learn the Māori language as well as send their children to Puna Reo, Kōhanga Reo, Reo Rūmaki, Bilingual Schools and Wharekura.  The daily active use of the reo shows that the thought processes of future generations has changed.
Māori youth who attend kura from a young age, are confident with te reo me ōna tikanga.  Te ao Māori is very familiar and therefore when embarking on their life journey, they will seek other perspectives to compare and further their understanding of existing knowledge.  As Te Wharehuia Milroy succinctly conveys this “Kaua e whakawhaititia ngā mōhiotanga o āu tamariki ki ōu mōhiotanga anake, i whānau kē mai anō rātou he wā kē”.
National Library cataloguing indicates that this is a “list of terms developed to help describe material by, for and about Māori.”  If Māori youth who are first language speakers of Māori, are educated  in Māori culture, why would they want to find material that only describes information by, for and about Māori.  We, therefore need to consider what is in the best interests of future language speakers of te reo and Te Ao Māori thinkers and how we support the Rautaki Reo strategy in ensuring the language continues to thrive and be a language for the nation.
Website: Ngā Ūpoko Tukutuku
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku Governance Group Representative: Cellia Joe-Olsen

Initial Project
He mea mahi ngā tahi Ngā Ūpoko Tukutuku nei e Te Rōpū Whakahau, e LIANZA, e Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa anō hoki.   Kua puta kē ki ngā whare pukapuka ināianei ko te rārangi kupu, neke atu i te 1,400 ngā kupu ūpoko me ōna whakamārama. Kia puta ake he kupu hou anō ka āpitihia atu ki te rārangi kupu.
Ko te whāinga he kupu ūpoko e whai tikanga ana ki te hunga Māori e kimi kōrero ana i roto i ngā whare pukapuka. Ehara kau kē ia hei papa kupu. He mea mahi atu tēnei hei rauemi āwhina i ngā kaiwhakaemi me ngā kaikohikohi kōrero ki te whakamārama rauemi reo Māori ao Māori rānei. Ka whakamahia e Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa ki te whakakaha ake i ngā tautoko Māori. Otirā kāore i meinga kia whai mana ki waho atu i ngā whare pukapuka me ngā wāhi tukunga kōrero.
Tukuna mai ngā kōrero mō te rārangi nei me ngā kupu hoki hei āpiti, hei tautoko hoki te kaupapa. Whakapā mai ki a reo@dia.govt.nz
The research projects Te Ara Tika: Māori and Libraries and Te Ara Tika Guiding Voices: Māori Opinion on Libraries and Information Needs were initiated to study Māori use of libraries and information services, and to identify the information needs of Māori communities. Frustrations have been expressed in these studies at the difficulty of locating accurate information in te reo Māori and on Māori subjects. The American and European-derived classification and cataloguing used in library systems can often be confusing, unhelpful or inaccurate when looking for Māori information. Catalogue records have also been produced over time by people with varying understandings of tikanga Māori.
These issues have been recognised by the Library and Information Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (LIANZA), leading in 1998 to the creation of the Māori Subject Headings Working Party (MSHWP). The group’s aim was to guide the development of local cataloguing standards in te reo Māori.
Māori Subject Headings Steering Committee
The MSH Steering Committee was made up of two representatives from each of the three sponsoring organisations: Te Puna Mātauranga-o-Aotearoa (NLNZ), Te Rau Herenga-o-Aotearoa (LIANZA) and Te Rōpū Whakahau. The Steering Committee members were Alison Elliott and Anne Anderson (NLNZ), Kitty Murray and Lisa Tocker (LIANZA) and Glenn Taitoko and Jenny Barnett Te Rōpū Whakahau.
Te Rārangi Ingoa o ngā Iwi me ngā Hapū – Iwi-Hapū Names List
The Iwi-Hapū Names List was launched at the LIANZA conference in Auckland, October 2004, as part of the current phase of the Māori Subject Headings Project. This is a web-based resource published on the web site of the National Library of New Zealand.
The list is based on the names of waka, iwi and hapū included in He Puna Kupu Māori and TAPUHI, and has been prepared in consultation with Te Taura Whiri.  Comments on or contributions to the Iwi-Hapū Names List were directed to Lynn Benson or Anne Anderson, both at the National Library.
Phase Three
Sally Simpson (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) was appointed in February 2004 as the project researcher to conduct hui wānanga (group interviews) with students and staff at Te Whare Wānanga-o-Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga-o-Tāmaki-Makaurau, Te Whare Wānanga-o-Awanuiārangi and Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa, as well as patrons at Ngā Whare Mātauranga-o-Manukau and Ngā Kete Wānanga-o-Ōtautahi. The hui took place from June through August 2004 in Hamilton, Auckland, Whakatāne, Ōtaki, Manukau City and Christchurch respectively.
The project also involved consultation with library professionals (including members of Te Rōpū Whakahau), academic researchers and students of kura kaupapa and wānanga. These individuals were asked to participate in the form of a survey. Open submissions were also sought from selected government institutions.
The information gathered in the course of this research was presented in a report to the Steering Committee in February 2005. The report, Te Ara Tika: Guiding Words, is available online.
Māori Subject Headings Project Team
Following advertisements for volunteers were posted to New Zealand librarians’ e-mail lists in March 2005, the Māori Subject Headings Project Team was announced at the Te Rōpū Whakahau Hui-ā-Tau in Kawhia, April 2005. They worked through to the end of June 2005 to develop a limited initial set of terms for the Māori Subject Headings thesaurus.
The project manager was Whina Te Whiu (Auckland City Libraries – Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero). Rangiiria Hedley (WaikatoUniversity / AucklandMuseum) and Ann Reweti (Wellington City Libraries) who were engaged as language and tikanga consultants, while Robyn East and Judy Keats from the National Library provided cataloguing advice.  The initial set of headings produced by the MSH project team were launched at the LIANZA conference in Christchurch, September 2005.