Moana Wesley yesterday received the Dunedin Public Libraries citation for 2018 for her longstanding role as tutor of the Dunedin City Council Waiata Group.
Council community and culture committee chairman Cr Aaron Hawkins said Ms Wesley had led the group since it began in 2002, ''developing a diverse kete of waiata, and graciously and generously sharing her wisdom and her world''.
Her work had helped foster cultural understanding among library staff.
Ms Wesley said the waiata group arose from a plan to introduce cultural training at the library.
There was a 10-session programme on waiata, but once it ended ''nobody wanted to finish''.
The programme developed and expanded into a large group of people from throughout the Dunedin City Council, who learned and performed waiata at openings and ''all kinds of things''.
''I feel incredibly humbled,'' she said of the award.
''I'm so proud of the group.''
