Na Shakayla Andrews
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is underway, with this year's Te Reo Towns kaupapa focused on bringing the language into everyday life.
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Chief Executive Ngahiwi Apanui said research from last year showed communities wanted more in-person opportunities to engage with te reo Māori.
"Kei te titiro whakamua ki ngā whakaritenga o te wiki nei huri noa i te motu."
"I runga anō i te taunaki rangahau mai i tērā tau, kei te hiahia te hapori kia whakahaere he kaupapa i roto i ngā hapori, kia kore e noho ki te ipurangi anake."
In Ōtautahi, that vision is being realised through free lunchtime classes at Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
Led by Ross Paniora, a kaimahi in Christchurch City Council’s Treaty Partnership team, the sessions introduce learners to the foundations of te reo Māori while exploring the cultural knowledge that sits alongside it.
"Ko tāku, he hiahia kei roto i ahau ka ako ērā āhuatanga a kui mā, a koro mā ki a rātou e hiakai ana, e hiahia ana."
Paniora said the classes cover much more than vocabulary, incorporating pepeha, mihimihi, whakataukī and other forms of mātauranga Māori.
"Mā wai te pepeha, mā wai te mihimihi, ērā hononga kei tua atu ki te wāhanga o Matariki, tuatoru, ngā whakataukī, ngā whakatauāki ā hui a koro mā hei arahi i a tātou i tēnei ao hurihuri."
According to the latest Census, around 9,400 people in Ōtautahi can hold a conversation in te reo Māori.
To mark Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, a range of community events are taking place throughout the city.
Tarryn Ryan, founder of Kōrero ki Ōtautahi, a Christchurch-based community group that supports learners and speakers of te reo Māori, said the organisation hosts a range of activities including the Mātaki Mai Film Festival, a dance event and a hīkoi through the city centre.
"I te pō nei ka tū te Mātakitaki Mai Film Festival ki Alice Cinema, hei te Taite ko te kanikani ki konei, ā te Paraire te hīkoi ki te pokapū o te tāone, nō reira nau mai, haere mai. He maha ngā kaupapa."
And while Te Wiki o te Reo Māori wraps on Sunday, the kaupapa continues. As Paniora puts it:
“When te reo Māori gets hold of you, it doesn't let go.”
|
|
|
E kōkiri ana Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, ā, ko te aronga matua o te kaupapa ko ‘Tāone Reo Māori’ he kawe i te reo Māori ki ngā mahi o ia rā.
E ai ki te Tumu Whakarae o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, a Ngahiwi Apanui, i kitea i roto i ngā rangahau o tērā tau, e hiahia ana te hapori kia nui ake ngā kaupapa ā-kanohi e whakakaha ana i te reo Māori.
"Kei te titiro whakamua ki ngā whakaritenga o te wiki nei huri noa i te motu."
"I runga anō i te taunaki rangahau mai i tērā tau, kei te hiahia te hapori kia whakahaere he kaupapa i roto i ngā hapori, kia kore e noho ki te ipurangi anake."
Kei Ōtautahi, e kitea ana taua wawata i roto i ngā akoranga reo kore utu e tū ana i te poupoutanga o te rā ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
Ko Ross Paniora tērā e whakahaere ana i ēnei akoranga, ā, ko tāna he ārahi i te hunga tauhou kia mārama ki ngā pūtake o te reo Māori me ngā mātauranga e noho tahi ana me te reo.
"Ko tāku, he hiahia kei roto i ahau ka ako ērā āhuatanga a kui mā, a koro mā ki a rātou e hiakai ana, e hiahia ana."
Hei tā Paniora, ehara i te ako kupu noa iho, engari he whai wāhi anō ki te ako i te pepeha, te mihimihi, ngā whakataukī me ētahi atu momo mātauranga Māori.
"Mā wai te pepeha, mā wai te mihimihi, ērā hononga kei tua atu ki te wāhanga o Matariki, tuatoru, ngā whakataukī, ngā whakatauāki ā hui a koro mā hei arahi i a tātou i tēnei ao hurihuri."
E ai ki ngā tatauranga hou, tata ki te 9,400 ngā tāngata o Ōtautahi ka taea te kōrero te reo Māori.
Hei whakanui i Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, he maha ngā kaupapa e tū ana puta noa i te tāone.
Hei tā Tarryn Ryan, te kaiwhakahaere o Kōrero ki Ōtautahi, he rōpū tautoko i te hunga kōrero me te hunga ako i te reo Māori, ko ngā kaupapa o te wiki, ko te Mātakitaki Mai Film Festival, he kaupapa kanikani, me tētahi hīkoi mā te pokapū o te tāone.
"I te pō nei ka tū te Mātakitaki Mai Film Festival ki Alice Cinema, hei te Taite ko te kanikani ki konei, ā te Paraire te hīkoi ki te pokapū o te tāone, nō reira nau mai, haere mai. He maha ngā kaupapa."
Ahakoa ka mutu Te Wiki o te Reo Māori hei tēnei Rātapu, e kore te kaupapa e mutu i reira.
Hei tā Paniora, "Ka mau te reo Māori i a koe, kāore e tukua."