Efeso Collins during his time

In memory of Fa’anānā Efeso Collins

Last week New Zealanders were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Green Party MP Faʻanānā Efeso Collins. Efeso devoted his life to serving his community, firstly as President of the Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA) and subsequently as a youth worker, broadcaster and head of the University of Auckland’s Pacific student outreach programme.Read more…

Detail from the Linguistic Society of New Zealand's Studies in Pacific Languages & Cultures, in honour of Bruce Biggs

Bruce Biggs and the revitalisation of te reo Māori

The Māori language petition for active recognition of te reo Māori was delivered to Parliament in 1972. It had over 30,000 signatures and became the starting point for a significant revitalisation of te reo Māori. 

At the time, te reo Māori revitalisation was still in its infancy at the University of Auckland, after receiving a boost during the 1950s, with Bruce Biggs — ethnographer, linguist, and champion of te reo Māori — at the helm.  Read more…