Photo: supplied
The oldest recorded Māori broadcast – dating back to 1938 at Tūrangawaewae marae in Ngāruawāhia – is one of the prize recordings in the first of four online exhibitions by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
The archive is highlighting its Ngā Taonga Kōrero collection of recordings of tūpuna made between the 1930s and the 1980s.
Honiana Love and Lawrence Wharerau from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision talk about the precious recordings.
Honiana Love and Lawrence Wharerau Photo: supplied
The type of te reo spoken in the recordings is very easy to follow, Wharerau says.
For Love, as a second-language learner of te reo, the Maori language used is even more accessible today.
"Today a lot of the people have become quite academic... They were straightforward. Their language is beautiful, but quite direct."
Wharerau is intrigued by the high quality of the recordings.
"It's a great opportunity for people to engage with different styles of speech-making, different dialects."
"We're hoping that by bringing this [material] out in the light, the iwi can tell the iwi story" says Love.
The first of the four exhibitions - Te Pūtaketanga o Ngā Taonga Kōrero - will be live on the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision website from Monday 11 September.
