Tina – Subject Librarian – Ara Library Blog

Movies to catch up on over the holidays

Did you know as an Ara student or staff member that you can access lots of educational video and movies in our eTV database.

The following two movies currently in eTV are based on true stories.

Oppenheimer

During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.

Next goal wins

Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners. A documentary film by our very own Taika Waititi.

To access eTV just add your Ara email address in to box that pops up and wait for the Green SSO button to appear and click this and add your Ara network password when prompted and you will be able to watch eTV content at your leisure. Find eTV instructions here also. If you have any issues with access email library@ara.ac.nz

Happy holiday viewing!

Image: Pixabay

Ngā Taonga Māori o Ara – Māori Art Tour at Ara

Here’s a great walking tour you can take using this app which guides you on a tour of the pouwhenua (carved wooden posts) and taonga (artistic treasures) located around the Ara Madras Street campus. Developed by ākonga and kaimahi from the Department of Creative Arts & Digital Information, Te Puna Wānaka, and other areas, it reveals the rich histories and meanings of our on-campus treasures. Scan the relevant QR code for your device below or search for “Nga Taonga Māori o Ara” on your device’s app store.

Celebrating Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue and Tokelau language weeks in October

October has four Pacific languages to celebrate: Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue and Tokelau. Here are the greetings in these languages: Fakatalofa, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa Lahi Atu, and Mālō ni.

Te Gana Tuvalu: 1-7 October

Fakatumau kae fakaakoi tau ‘gana ke mautu a iloga o ‘ta tuā

Preserve and embrace your language to safeguard our heritage identities

Tuvalu language cards from Ministry for Pacific Peoples

Tuvalu language resource in Ara Library.

Fijian Language Week : 8-14 October

Find some Fijian language resources at Pacific Learners and Ministry of Education websites

Vaka nuinui vinaka na siga nikua! – Have a great day!

Fijian language resources in Ara Library

Vagahau Niue week: 15-21 October

Find some vagahau Niue resources from the Ministry of Education website

Fakaalofa atu ki a mutolu. – Greetings to you all.

Niuean language resources at Ara Library.

Gagana Tokelau week: 22-28 October

Find some gagana Tokelau resources from the Ministry of Education website

Manuia te aho! – Have a good day!

Tokelauan language resources at Ara Library.

Daylight savings: time to spring forward this weekend

Image: Pixabay

Daylight Saving time begins in Aotearoa New Zealand this weekend. So, remember to put all your clocks forward by one hour at 2am Sunday 24 September 2023. Daylight Saving time ends at 3am Sunday 7 April 2024, when clocks will go back by one hour to NZ Standard Time (NZST). This is in keeping with New Zealand legislation – The New Zealand Daylight Time Order 2007.

Department of Internal Affairs share a fun fact that “if you are working when Daylight Saving begins and the clocks go forward, you actually work an hour less, but you are entitled to payment for your normal hours. For example, if you were meant to work from midnight to 8am you will only work 7 hours, but you are entitled to be paid for 8 hours of work.” At least that is one benefit of working the night shift on Sunday morning.

While it will be a bit darker for my morning walk to work for a week or two after we spring forward, I look forward to that extra hour of light after work to fit in a relaxing stroll in the Botanic Gardens or along the beach after tea.

Image : Brighton Beach by Tina

Te wiki o te reo Māori, September 11-18 2023

Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea | My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.
Dr Tīmoti Kāretu.

The above whakataukī appropriately launches Te wiki o te reo Māori or Māori language week this week, being created by Dr Tīmoti Kāretu who was knighted for his services to te reo Māori.

How are you going with your reo Māori journey? Luckily there are plenty of resources to help you along the way in Ara’s Ao Māori Subject Guide. Resources include:

Simple pepeha templates
Māori language apps
A guide to set up access to the Māori keyboard so you can add macrons when typing in reo.

I often find waiata are a great way to build my reo with the music, rhythm and rhyme supporting memorization and of course if you have younger members in your whānau this is a fun activity to do together. Here is a simple waiata to help learn the days of the week in te reo Māori sung to the tune of the Banana Boat (Day O) song by Harry Belafonte for all those oldies out there who might recognise this melody.

If you have aced te waiata mō ngā rā o te wiki you might like to learn the maramataka or months of the year in te reo which Miss Tuwharetoa sings to the tune of another oldie Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka which you can find on You Tube.

Nō reira, best of luck with your reo Māori journey and remember every little bit counts.

Whāngaia ka tupu, ka puawai
That which is nurtured, blossoms and grows
Whakataukī

Tongan Language Week: 3 – 9 September

Mālō e lelei. Welcome to Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga – Tongan Language Week which we celebrate this year from Sunday 3 September to Saturday 9 September. The theme for this year is ‘E tu’uloa ‘a e Lea faka-Tongá ‘o ka lea’aki ‘i ‘api, siasi (lotu), mo e nofo-‘a-kāingá, which means the Tongan Language will be sustainable if used at home, church and in the wider community.

You can practise your lea faka-Tonga with some common greetings after watching the following You tube video from Pacific Learners.

How did you go with your greetings? Here is a catchy tune from Pacific Kids Learning, to learn the Tongan alphabet. It includes learning one Tongan word for each letter. Singalong to find out what the words for coconut and banana are. Here’s a hint -the Tongan word for coconut begins with N and the Tongan word for banana begins with S.

You can also download these Tonga Language cards from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples webpage supporting Lea Faka – Tonga.

Thanks to New Zealand author David Riley you can also read some books from Ara Library on Tongan culture and language as below:

Hina’s blessing – learn about one of the stories of love of the famous couple Hina and Sinilau.
How Tonga got its name – Maui was clearly very busy throughout the Pacific.
Tongan heroes – among others learn about such heroes as King George Tupou and our gold medallist Valerie Adams.

Also look out for a Tongan flower-making activity in the Timaru and Madras Campus Libraries this week and other events advertised in My Ara.

Cook Islands Language Week 30 July to 5 August 2023

Kia orana. This week we celebrate Cook Islands Language Week or Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani. This year’s theme is “Ātuitui’ia au ki te au peu o tōku kāinga Ipukarea”, which means “connect me to the traditions and culture of my homeland”.

You can download this set of language cards from Ministry for Pacific Peoples and try out some Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Airani! Also Your introduction to Cook Islands Language is a great place to visit on the Coconet TV website for more simple reo Māori Kūki Āirani practice. On their How to Cook Islands page you can also learn about:

Rore – Cook Islands stilt games
How to play the ukulele Kuki Āirani style
How to drum Kuki Āirani style
How to make tivaevae cushions
How to make an Ei (flower garland)

We also have some great books in the Library on the Cook Islands including :

And if you would like to know the names of all the islands in the Cook Islands group and where they got their names from see this ebook from NZETC called Discoverers of the Cook Islands and the names they gave.

Here are a few phrases in reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani from Coconet TV to inspire learning:

So why not give it a go today! Tāmata’ia!

New automotive database – Haynes Manuals All Access

You will find in this new database, repair and service manuals for all makes of cars from Alfa Romeo and Audi through to Volkswagen and Volvo. If you are more a motorbike enthusiast, Haynes also provide motorbike manuals from Aprilia to Yamaha. How do you find this resource? Find Ara Library and click on the link to Databases A-Z to find the Haynes Manuals.

Whether you are currently studying here at Ara in Automotive Engineering or just tinkering in your garage on your prized possessions, there is bound to be a manual to help facilitate those challenging repair jobs.

Happy tinkering!