Tātai Aho Rau Core Education, a non-profit organization in New Zealand, has won the Digi Matihiko Award at the Māori Language Awards. They received the award in partnership with Grok Academy, an Australian edtech charity. The award was given for a project that translated an online cyber-security course into the Māori language. This project shows their dedication to improving digital safety for all students in New Zealand.
The cyber-security resources and courses are available for students in grades 6 to 13. They were created in Australia and are aligned with the New Zealand curriculum. The Māori language team at Tātai Aho Rau created a resource that encourages Māori youth to get involved in IT through the Māori language.
Grok Academy approached Tātai Aho Rau to bring their cyber-security platform to New Zealand schools. Other partners in this project include BNZ, ASB, AWS, NCSC and Grok.
Tumu Whakarae Hana O’Regan, a representative from the organization, believes this may be the first wide-ranging, online cyber-safety program in an indigenous language. They plan to continue creating resources about online environments in the Māori language.
The partnership has provided Grok with valuable insights about working with the Māori language. This knowledge can be used in different contexts in Australia. The hope is that the partnership will lead to more work, such as creating resources for Pacific communities and promoting these resources.
Tātai Aho Rau Core Education is a national non-profit organization that works in education and communities. CEO Dr Hana O’Regan said, “Our work supports learners who are at the margins. We produce impactful products and deliver services that focus on supporting teachers and leaders to remove equity barriers for learners.”
