Background
She was born in 1932 in Tokomaru Bay, on the east coast of the North Island.
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Katerina Mataira
Edit ProfileCareer
Her efforts to revive and revitalise the Māori language (te reo Māori), led to the growth of the Māori immersion schools (Kura Kaupapa Māori) in New Zealand. She initially studied to be an art teacher and educator. Mataira was intrigued by the Silent Way, a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno, and adapted to method to teach Māori.
Her efforts earned her the nickname as the "mother" of the Kura Kaupapa Māori, or Maori immersion schools, according to Doctor Pita Sharples.
She also authored Māori language children"s picture books and novels. Mataira died on 16 July 2011, in Hamilton, at the age of 78.
Her tangi, or Māori funeral, was at the Ohinewaiapu Marae in Rangitukia.
Achievements
Membership
She was a member of the Ngāti Porou Māori iwi.
Connections
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Born
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Died
July 16, 2011 (aged 78) -
Nationality
New Zealand