Walton Walker’s historical research project continues to go from strength to strength, with live streaming the latest coup.

The first of the Nga Maunga Korero o Te Tairawhiti Seminar Series – The Journeys and Settlements of our Ancestors featuring the famed warrior Tuwhakairiora – was simultaneously delivered in person and on-line in late June.

As well as attracting 60 people to the lecture, another 60-odd logged in to watch the live stream, and since then a further 132 have watched it on demand.

It has all stemmed from the stories published in The Gisborne Herald between 2007 and 2010. Those 24 instalments were the culmination of hundreds of hours of work by Walker and incorporated 125 stories told through words and photographs.

For Walker, a senior partnership advisor for the Ministry of Education, the telling and re-telling of stories is of growing importance to the nation.

“One of the big priority items for the Ministry of Education at present is improving the educational achievement of Māori children. Whichever way you look at it, the figures are well down. So, how do you respond to that?”

Walker says it is through identity, language and culture.

“All those elements are incorporated into the presentations I will be doing,” he says. “To know your stories is to know who you are and where you come from. Also, they help youto understand our society and community. I hope people will learn from these seminars.”

And he is also keen to see the project move to yet another level.

“I still yearn to produce a book. That would give access to people are not on  the internet, and to a whole different age group too.”

The seminars are all in English, with the next one scheduled for Thursday, August 29.

“The lack of accessibility to our stories is one of the reasons why many of our stories don’t live. Using technology, amongst other things, gives it a lifeline.”

A DVD will shortly be available, while a recording of the presentation is available at (https://vimeo.com/69857793)