Getting tight with te reo

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori

The language is the heart and soul of the mana of Māoridom

There is much to celebrate this year, but we don’t have to look very far to realise that the fight to preserve te reo Māori is far from over. Judene Edgar takes a closer look at te reo before Māori Language Week, 13-19 September.

Tessa Jaine

Up until the 1870s New Zealand had a strong bilingual culture. However, as more migrants arrived English became the dominant language and Māori language was suppressed. Te reo suffered and along with it, Māori culture. Despite the focus on kōrero Pākehā (speaking English), the Māori language survived, especially on the marae, at homes, at places of worship, and waiata (songs). Increasing urbanisation of Māori led to further decline of te reo and by the 1980s less than 20% of Māori were native speakers. The impact of the alienation of Māori from their language and culture and the very real risk of losing the language altogether led to considerable push-back. In 1972 a 30,000-strong petition supporting the teaching of Māori language and culture in schools was submitted to parliament. What started as Māori language day in 1972, three years later became Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: Māori Language Week, an integral part of the wider efforts to revitalise the Māori language. Held the third full week of September (Mahuru), this year Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is 13 to 19 September. The 1987 Māori Language Act gave official language status to the Māori language in response to a Waitangi Tribunal finding that te reo was a taonga (treasure) that needed legal protection. Despite this protection, Māori Language commissioner Rawinia Higgins says “we need 1 million speakers of te reo by 2040 to safeguard our language for future generations”. “The battle for te reo Māori has been fought in communities across Aotearoa, from small towns to our biggest cities. In 1987 some warned that making te reo an official language would divide New Zealanders but 35-years later, te reo is something that unites us.”

Craig Shepard (Shep) is determined to help keep te reo alive in Whakatū for Māori and Pākehā. Shep grew up in what he thought was a fairly “traditional kiwi household”, with a Pākehā father and Māori mother. Learning te reo was non-existent as it was not considered a priority for his family. “My mother was one of ten and we’d have these amazing family holidays in Pahiatua,” says Shep. The world he experienced there was enticing, but so distinctly different to his own upbringing. “I didn’t understand my culture or what it meant to be Māori. Because our whole family was so affected by colonisation, I thought I wasn’t Māori, and I remember thinking, ‘I want to be Māori when I grow up’.” It wasn’t until he started working at Whakatū Marae as a social worker that his interest in te reo and whakapapa (genealogy) was ignited. “There were a lot of us on different journeys, but having an environment where I could use te reo frequently really helped.” In fact, a friend he worked with laid down the challenge for them to only speak te reo to each other at work, which really accelerated his learning. Understanding what it means to learn te reo from nothing, he also valued the immersive experience that this challenge provided him. So he took his new-found skills to Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology to support Māori learners and Māoristyle teaching methods, eventually moving into teaching te reo. For Shep, the key is to support Māori and Pākehā learners, regardless of where they are on their journey. “My learning journey has been more applied and practical than classroom-based. My best learning was when I left Te Tauihu and went to other regions to experience Māori language and culture – it opened my mind and I learned that there weren’t set ways to do everything. They were very generous and enabling of my learning. It’s simply about te reo being used and celebrated.” Shep’s trying to walk the talk at home, work, and in everyday life. His wife and children are also learning te reo and they are increasingly speaking te reo at home. But Shep says aroha (love and compassion) are key parts of supporting people on their journey. “It’s all about helping the next generations to get ready to take over.”

Craig Shepard (Shep) is determined to help keep te reo alive in Whakatū for Māori and Pākehā.

Johny O’Donnell and his daughter Māia who speaks German, English and te reo Māori.

Ka pu te ruha ka hao te rangatahi - As an old net withers another is remade - When an elder is no longer fit to lead, a healthier leader will stand in his place.

Johny O’Donnell is also supporting the next generation of te reo learners, starting at home with his two-year-old daughter Māia who speaks German, English and te reo Māori. Growing up in Motueka with his brother and Pākehā mother, Johny had limited connection with his whakapapa, and no exposure to te reo at home or at school. “The only way I knew I was Māori was a portrait of an ancestor, Atama Paparangi, hanging at home, but because of this, I always had a curiosity and interest.” When he started at Nelson College, he joined the whānau class learning te reo and kapa haka. Entering the Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competitions ignited his passion for oratory skills, inherent in Māori culture.

Working in community development and communications for the past decade, it wasn’t until taking on the role of facilitator for the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy three years ago that his passion for te reo was reinvigorated. “I knew I needed to engage with te reo as I was going to be the one constant at all of the events,” he says. His initial focus was on the more formal elements such as mihi whakatau (welcome) and karakia (prayer/incantation), but thanks to the mentorship of Ropata Taylor, he’s now integrating te reo into the rest of his life.

“This year I’ve gone deep and I’ve recommitted to challenge myself in day-to-day conversation.” To help with fluency, Ropata recommended that he went to Kura Reo, an intensive week-long total immersion wānanga [place of learning] in Tai Tokerau. “I arrived knowing no one. I’d never been to an immersive experience. I was out of my comfort zone and initially quite terrified. But while it took a lot out of you as you had to focus on understanding others and upskilling yourself, within a day or two it felt like you were amongst family.” He says the real development was one of confidence, and patience in himself to find the words that he needed. Such patience isn’t needed at home however, as “Māia effortlessly picks up what language to use with people and switches accordingly.” Having recently returned from Germany he says that Māia is now predominantly speaking German at home after several weeks visiting her mother’s family. However, Johny is stepping up his conversational te reo to ensure he can give her the same immersive experience in te reo. Johny says the key for learning te reo is to understand that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Do a little bit well. You don’t need to learn it tomorrow, but pronouncing place names and people’s names is important.” Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu — although it is small, it is precious like a greenstone. Kia kaha te reo Māori.