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Regional | Art

Te Ara Reo pathway bringing joy to Wellington waterfront

Photo / Instagram

A new art installation, Te Ara Reo, is bringing joy to the Wellington waterfront as commuters walk through an audio-visual pathway filled with the mesmerising sounds of the environment and people of the land.

The pathway immerses people in the sounds of the wind, sea and birds, rustling piupiu, karanga, waiata, poi - and stories of the efforts to enable te reo Māori to flourish.

“It makes me proud to be Māori and a New Zealander,” Waru Sullivan told Stuff earlier this week.

"Let your ears be your eyes and walk through Te Ara Reo, an audio visual pathway, a journey from reo immersion, to the collective determination for reo in 1972, and in the present to the future," a sign by the pathway near the TSB Arena says.

@wellingtonweekender Head to Wellington waterfront to walk through Te Ara Reo; an audio visual pathway 💛 #wellington #nz #tereomāori ♬ original sound - Wellington Weekender

"Immerse yourself in the sounds of the environment and the people of this land, the cracking embers, winds, the sea, the birds, the rustling of puipui, rituals of welcome, song, stories, vocal revisits and accounts of the protest and aspirations for the future."

Photo / Instagram

Te Ara Reo is the result of a collaboration between mana whenua and local cultural practitioners and creatives. It is inspired by kōrero, shared by Taranaki leader Kura Moeahu, reimagining a time when te reo Māori was the only language spoken in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, a Stuff report says.

"At night, Te Ara Reo becomes animated with illuminations that connect to the night skies."