Some pix I took while in New Zealand for the ILA Conference. One of the highlights of the conference was the Powhiri, a Maori welcoming ceremony that echoes the coming ashore of visitors in a canoe.

I was impressed with the efforts New Zealanders have made to incorporate Maori language and culture into the exported British-white-man’s culture. Maori became recognized as the second official language of New Zealand in 1987, but what impressed me was that much of the opening ceremony was in Maori, and Maori words and phrases are bandied about in a large-scale example of code-switching.

I started class today, so still do not have as much time as I’d like to blog. More later.