Dr Ruakere Hond is a long-time kaiako (teacher) of the Māori language through a community-based approach to learning. A passionate proponent of the revitalization of the Māori language, Ruakere shares why indigenous languages are so important in modern society. Dr Ruakere Hond is a long-time kaiako (teacher) of the Ataarangi approach of Māori language; a community-based, language immersion learning system developed almost 40 years ago. He is a proponent of the revitalisation of the local form of Māori language in Taranaki with Te Reo o Taranaki, a community organisation formed in the mid-80’s.
Ruakere is a former board member of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) and is currently a board member of Te Mātāwai (the statutory Māori language leadership body), and will talk about language revitalisation in the context of Māori language. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx