Māori Battalion site brings generations together w te reo

Media Release

Manatū Taonga/Ministry for Culture and Heritage

5 July 2011

28th Māori Battalion website brings generations together with te reo Māori

The 28th Māori Battalion website www.28maoribattalion.org.nz is dedicated to promoting the men who served with the battalion in the Second World War. Between 1941 and 1945 the Māori Battalion forged an outstanding reputation on the battlefields of Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy.

The website comprises stories, photographs and videos of the many men who served in the battalion, and is a kete for family and friends to add content – their own memories, messages and family photos. Te reo Māori is used throughout the site, with many interviews conducted in te reo and translated into English. The website is a joint initiative between Manatū Taonga/Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Te Puni Kōkiri, on behalf of the 28th Māori Battalion Association.

Young people have been drawn to the site for its mixture of history and ancestral information, and have been uploading their own material about the battalion, check out one school student’s contribution in te reo Māori here: http://www.28maoribattalion.org.nz/video/28th-maori-battalion-reunion-2008

Recently the 28th Māori Battalion site won the top award in the Crown-Māori Relationships category of the IPANZ-Gen-I Public Sector awards in Wellington.

To hear and read the stories of the men and their families of the 28th Māori Battalion in te reo, visit www.teopetaua28.maori.nz during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

ENDS

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