The inaugural education symposium has sparked urgent calls for immediate action to implement meaningful changes that will strengthen and uplift indigenous education in the country.

The four-day “Te Umeia Te Maro Kura – Rebuilding Our Future: Language, Culture, and Identity in Cook Islands” Education Symposium concludes today at the National Sports Arena in Nikao.

The symposium is a joint initiative between Te Maraurau o Te Pae Apii (Ministry of Education) and Te Ui Ariki Ngateitei O Te Kuki Airani (UANKA), aimed at establishing a strong framework for educational reform – one that rekindles the value of learning and brings the community together around the significance of education, language and cultural identity.

Earlier this week, panellists discussed the topic: “Cultural Revitalisation in Education: From Vaka to Virtual,” sharing their perspectives on how to embed Cook Islands knowledge, language and identity into the education system – and the tools, spaces and models that can support this.

One of the panellists was Tuingariki “Tui” Short Maui Mataiapo, a board member for Te Vānanga Are Tapere o Takitumu, and a former Secretary of Education in the country.

Short acknowledged one of the keynote speakers, Sir Ian Taylor, for agreeing to work in partnership with Te Maraurau O Te Pae Apii, “for the technology that he’s given us to be brought here to the Cook Islands in Education for the sake of our schools”.

“That is action,” he said.

While speaking on the topic, Short delivered a powerful message: “You see, the Bible says that there is a time for peace and there is a time for war. E te iti tangata, this is now a time for war for our language, for our culture and customs, for our performing arts, and for our identity.”

“We’ve been too nice all along because without the resources of funding, without the right people to do the work, all that we are talking about is what we have been speaking about for the last 30 years, and nothing is done.”

Short says while the mineral resources, tourism and land are important, “let me tell you this, the greatest asset of the Cook Islands, a small island nation of 13,500, is our people”.

“Not just people, it must be people that are educated so that they can shape the future and build the future.’

According to Short, a consistent shortcoming of the symposiums and meetings facilitated by the Cook Islands has been the imbalance of excessive talk and insufficient action.

He says this symposium highlights that the Ministry of Education cannot achieve these goals on its own – it requires collective effort and support from the entire community.

“Te Aronga Mana has a definite job to do,” he said, adding they need to step into schools and help children understand their identity.

According to him, the Aronga Mana presence isn’t strong enough right now, and people need visible role models.

He challenged the Aronga Mana in Takitumu, Puaikura and Te Au O Tonga to go into the schools, show the young people what it means to be an Ariki and tell the children who they are.

Stressing the urgency of the moment – “this is now the time for war” – he called for action, urging that the needs of the Ministry of Education, the people’s need for our reo, our culture and our performing arts must be taken directly to those who control the purse strings. He also expressed the need to demand investment in traditional systems.

In 2022, Te Vānanga Are Tapere o Takitumu – Cook Islands Takitumu Performing Arts School, in partnership with Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu of Aotearoa, launched its first tertiary-level programmes. By June 2023, the inaugural class of seven students had graduated.

During his keynote speech at the ceremony, Short said: “Our language is disappearing, you have a job to do and that job is to revive Reo Rarotonga o Takitumu.”