Te Ara's Earth, Sea and Sky media advisories

Left-foot jandal mystery tackled in new digital encyclopedia release

Media advisory, 12 June 2006.

Earth, Sea and Sky, the second major release of Te Ara, the digital Encyclopedia of New Zealand launched today (Monday 12 June), includes 117 entries dealing with the awesome forces that shape our physical environment – such as climate, tides and earthquakes.

The entry dealing with beachcombing helps explain the long-running mystery of why left foot jandals are washed up on NZ beaches more often that right foot ones. It can be found in the Beachcoming entry

The entries for Earth, Sea and Sky are illustrated with over 3000 photos or drawings, over 200 maps and diagrams, about 100 clips from films and television footage, and a number of interactive features.

Earth includes entries on:

historic earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides
mining for resources such as coal and gold. There is an entry on the frenzied search for radioactive minerals on the West Coast in the 1950s.

See: Radioactive minerals entry

the extraordinary world of hot springs and mud pools.

Sea tells of the oceans around us and people's relationship with the sea. There are entries which cover:

all the major sea-birds and the amazing story of the migration of New Zealand birds to distant parts of the globe
all the groups of fish and other strange marine creatures, including Kaikoura's surprisingly well-endowed multiviral flatworm.

See: Marine animals without backbones entry

up-to-date knowledge about 'Zealandia', the New Zealand continent most of which is under-water
the long New Zealand tradition of harvesting the sea from sealing to mutton-birding
human interaction with the sea from sailing and beachcombing to shipwrecks.

Sky has stories on:

the night sky in New Zealand and its place in Māori culture.

See: Matariki entry

the distinctive patterns of climate and the question of whether light is actually clearer here than elsewhere
people's use of the sky from flying kites to flying aeroplanes.

The release of Earth, Sea and Sky follows the launch of the first part of Te Ara in February 2005, covering the peoples of New Zealand and their origins.

Te Ara is the first born-digital national encyclopedia in the world and will eventually present about 1000 entries on all aspects of New Zealand and its people. It has already won a number of major awards for both web design and innovation.

The material has been written by experts from throughout New Zealand, calling upon people in universities and Crown Research Institutes particularly GNS Science and the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA). The preparation of the website has been the work of a team at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

Ends

For further information contact:

Dr Jock Phillips, general editor, Te Ara at 0274-875-672 (cell), 04-385-2085 (home) or 496-6346 (work) or:

Red Yska , Media, MCH at 0272-567778 (cell), 04-475-9826 (home) or 04-4966185 (work)

Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui. Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e! Matariki re-appears, Whānui starts its flight. Being the sign of the new year!

Media Advisory 9 June 2006

On June 12, 2006 Te Ara, the digital Encyclopedia of New Zealand, celebrates the launch of its second theme, ‘Earth, Sea and Sky’. Included are 117 entries covering the awesome forces that shape our physical environment – such as climate, tides and earthquakes.

The entries in the Earth, Sea and Sky theme are extensive, and include a number of important Māori entries. One of them is about Matariki, the Māori New Year, which is currently in full swing. Te Ara can be seen at http://www.teara.govt.nz/

Matariki was celebrated by various iwi at different times. Some held festivities when Matariki was first seen in the pre-dawn sky; others celebrated after the full moon rose or at the beginning of the next new moon. The 12 th of June is an appropriate day as it signals the first full moon following the rise of Matariki (the Pleiades).

Besides Matariki, sky related themes in Te Ara include information on the lunar calendar, Māori knowledge of the weather, traditional kites, and Ranginui, Sky father. Earth related themes range from traditional accounts of how the physical features of Aotearoa was shaped, through to the valued taonga, pounamu.

Sea related themes include traditional fishing practices, shellfish gathering and the harvest of the tītī or muttonbird. Waka are also covered ranging from the large waka taua (war canoes) through to waka tētē (fishing canoes) waka tīwai (river canoes), and waka mōkihi (rafts).

All of the Māori themed entries have been translated and are able to be viewed in te reo Māori.

For further information contact:

Basil Keane, Maori Editor, Te Ara (DDI 04-496-6336 or Email: basil.keane@ mch.govt.nz ) or

Red Yska , m edia advisor DDI 04-4966185 or Email redmer.yska@mch.govt.nz