Media Release 27 March 2014

Ngātiwai Trust Board will launch three specially developed digital resources by showcasing them to Kaumātua on Friday 28 March at the Terenga Paraoa Marae on Porowini Avenue, Whangarei.

The three interactive digital applications tell Ngātiwai stories.

Ngātiwai Education’s Joeann Waata who has been involved since its inception says it was pleasing to see Ngātiwai high school students getting involved in the creation of the resources.

“The best part about these resources is that they reflect the effort and work of three students from Kamo High and one from Tikipunga High who are of Ngātiwai descent with the guidance of our esteemed Kaumātua George Tokowhati Martin,” Joeann Waata said.

“We put a high value on education at Ngātiwai and it is wonderful that we can make these resources available to students so quickly after the book we launched last month- ‘Ngā Kōrero o Ngātiwai’.”

The applications are titled: ‘Te Ika Tuatahi a Moko’ (Moko’s First Fish); ‘Ngātiwai ki Uta; Ngātiwai ki Tai (Ngātiwai of the Land; Ngātiwai of the Sea) and Te Omanga Roa a Ngā Maunga o te Moananui a Kiwa (The Great Mountain Race of the Pacific).

Joeann Waata said the introduction of digital resources takes the education process a step further.

“It is a good innovation when we can provide students with digital resources in this day and age and we hope they and their teachers make the most of these apps.”

Ngātiwai will be involved in developing a further 11 digital resources as part of the project.