Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa (Te Rūnanga Nui) has been recognised by the US Library of Congress with a major literacy award for its work in expanding literacy and promoting reading.
The national representative body for Kura Kaupapa Māori is one of 24 organisations, from both the US and overseas, that have been honoured and is the recipient of the inaugural 2024 Kislak Family Foundation Prize that comes with a grant of US$100,000.
Hohepa Campbell, chief executive of Te Rūnanga Nui, said he was absolutely amazed when he received the news.
“Miharo katoa a Te Rūnanga Nui ki te rongo i ngā kōrero mai tawhiti, mai pāmamao, mō tēnei whakaaro, koha rangatira (We of Te Rūnanga Nui were astounded to hear about this prestigious award we’ve received from afar, from overseas).”
“Me tā mātou ohorere kua riro i a tātou ko ngā whānau o ngā kura kaupapa Māori he pūtea tautoko mō te whakarauora i te reo, te reo Māori ā-waha, te reo Māori ā-tuhituhi nei (And we were surprised to learn that it comes with a grant to support our kura kaupapa Māori whānau in the endeavour of revitalising our language; both in speech and written).”
The application was submitted by Te Rūnanga Nui member Arapine Walker who said it was an honour to be acknowledged.
“Kei te kite mātou he hua o te mahi, kei te kite mātou ehara i te mea ko mātou anake kei te mārama ki te hua o ā mātou mahi, nō reira he honore tino nui tēnei (We know what this mahi means and we can see we’re not the only ones who understand the value of our work, so it’s a huge honour).”
Walker said she first heard about applying for the awards while she was speaking on kura kaupapa Māori and Te Rūnanga Nui at the International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum in Honolulu, Hawai’i, in November last year.
“I tūtaki au ki tētahi wahine me tana kī, he nui wā koutou mahi, me whai whakaaro pea koutou ki te tono mō tēnei whakawhiwhinga (I met a woman [there] who said we did a lot of work, and to think about applying for the award).”
The woman was Dr Loriene Roy of the University of Texas at Austin who also serves on the Library of Congress Literacy Awards.
Walker said Roy provided a link to the website, and after reading about the kaupapa, she figured “pai tū, pai hinga, ka tuku atu he tono (no harm in trying, so I’ll send in an application)”.
That was back in January. More than six months later, they were notified of the outcome and the list of successful applicants was made public in September.
Of this year’s recipients, Librarian of Congress Dr Carla Hayden said: “I am encouraged by the work that this year’s winners and honorees have accomplished in helping people of all ages not only learn to read in a primary or secondary language, but also in inspiring communities to enjoy the practice of reading.”
“The Library of Congress is excited to celebrate their achievements and delighted to recognise their efforts to advance literacy around the world, through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein and the Kislak Family Foundation.”
Te Rūnanga Nui plan to use the prize money to create scholarships.
“We’re going to set aside that funding in the hope that we can work with our raukura (alumni) going forward to provide scholarships,” said Campbell.
“It’s important for us that we keep this funding safe for the purpose for which it was given to us and this may be the start of many more scholarships that Te Rūnanga Nui could possibly distribute in years to come.”
Campbell and Walker are currently in the US where they will make their way to Washington DC to attend a function hosted by New Zealand Ambassador to the US Rosemary Banks in recognition of Te Rūnanga Nui’s achievement on October 28. They will then attend the 2024 Literacy Awards ceremony on October 30.
The Library of Congress 2024 Literacy Awards
The US Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program recognises organisations in the United States and abroad that make outstanding contributions to increasing literacy.
The program has been running since 2013 and has awarded more than $3 million in prize money to more than 180 institutions in 39 countries.
The Kislak Family Foundation Prize is one of two top prizes and is awarded to an organisation “with an outsized impact on literacy relative to its size and/or years of operation”.
The awards aim to support organisations in their work in literacy and reading promotion, and the development of innovative initiatives to help combat illiteracy.
