Library News - Unitec: June 2021

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Happy Matariki - Māori New Year

Kia ora e te whānau,

Wishing you a happy Matariki, Māori New Year - Nga Mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori, ki a tatou katoa.

Matariki (also known as the Pleiades cluster) signals the Māori New Year. Celebrate the Māori new year in Tāmaki Makaurau with Matariki Festival, from 19 June until 11 July 2021.

Traditionally, new year celebrations provided the opportunity for whānau to come together and celebrate with kai, korero and waiata and to reflect on the year gone by and begin planning for the new year ahead.

Unitec Library has resources both in print and electronic that gives more information about the celebration of Matariki. Visit the Unitec Library website and our Matariki subject guide.

Check out our displays at Te Puna Library (Level 1, Building 180) and Waitākere Library (Level 3, Building 520).

Ngā manaakitanga

Thursday, June 03, 2021

Samoan Language Week 2021

Talofa lava, Afio mai. Welcome to Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoa Language Week held from Sunday 30 May – Saturday 5 June, 2021. Samoa’s 59th year of independence was on Tuesday 1 June.

The theme is Poupou le lotoifale. Ola manuia le anofale which means strengthen the posts of your house, for all to thrive. When you’re building a foundation for a fale (house) it can’t have a weak foundation or posts. This is the same for the foundations of our families, schools and churches that play an important role in strengthening Gagana Samoa (the Samoan Language). Language is important for the foundations of our overall wellbeing.

Unitec Pacific Centre is also running some events on campus to embrace and celebrate Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa. Staff and students are welcome to join in this week to wear blue and sing the Samoan national anthem and do a Unitec Tik Tok video, Game show – who wants to be a Samoan and Public lecture – We are Samoa. More info is on the Unitec Pacific CentreFacebook page.

For Samoan Language Week, my colleagues Leone Samu Tui (Associate Curator, Documentary Heritage, Pacific) and Seulupe Dr Falaniko Tominiko (Deputy Chair of Auckland Museum’s Pacific Advisory Group) reflect on the significance of a measina held in Auckland Museum’s manuscript collection: an unpublished tusi faʻalupega or collection of Sāmoan chiefly titles and village salutations, compiled in 1902. Read more on the AucklandMuseum website.

Unitec Library has resources in both print and electronic version to learn more about Gagana Samoa. Check out the Unitec Library catalogue and our Pacific subject guide.

See our display at Te Puna Library.