Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: Mā tātou katoa | It’s for all

As Te Wiki o te Reo Māori comes around every year, it leads me to reflect on all the speakers and influencers of te reo Māori, past and present, and the journeys they have all taken to revitalise and normalise te reo Māori for our future generations. Their contributions to te reo Māori, before it was recognised as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand and long after, are seen in the current accomplishments and aspirations of te petihana reo Māori | the Māori language petition.

Te Wharehuia Milroy

Of the many active practitioners of te ao Māori, one that drives my continuation of learning te reo Māori, is Te Wharehuia Milroy (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Koura). He dedicated his life to the recognition and revitalisation of te reo Māori, also known as te reo rangatira. Te Wharehuia was known for his ability to use whakatauākī in new and innovative ways. Some of his own whakatauākī are commonly known, such as this one which specifically expresses his hopes and aspirations that the oral traditions of Māori would be maintained:

Bring the language back from the tip of the pen to the tip of the tongue.

— Professor James Te Wharehuia Milroy

The petition speaks of a willingness of Māori to gift te reo Māori for more positive measures of integration. It was a very bold and active statement by Māori and non-Māori supporters that could have resulted in the segregation of our nation. Instead, it has brought us forward to today’s profound interest and need for the normalisation of te reo Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As a graduate of kōhanga reo, Māori medium and English medium schools I was surrounded by speakers of te reo Māori. Being a first language speaker of te reo Māori also came with a broader understanding of my own identity, lineage and the duty of care I have to the language and culture. As I grew older and moved to the city, it came as a huge cultural shock to hear a very small amount of te reo Māori being spoken every day.

Te reo Māori, in its purest form, is the doorway to the identity, culture, beliefs, values and worldview of Māori. As a proficient speaker of te reo Māori, I still actively seek more ways to develop, engage and learn to give back to the language that has given so much to me.

There has been an influx of people wanting to learn and speak te reo Māori. With the right support and a willingness to learn, te reo Māori will continue to grow. Like many of my generation, our hopes and dreams are those same aspirations of the many before us — to hear their mokopuna (grandchildren) speak the language of their ancestors.

Ānei ngā tatauranga | Here are the statistics

A recent news release from Stats NZ using data from the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS) reported that:

… the ability of New Zealanders (aged 15 and over) to speak te reo Māori in day-to-day conversation has improved.

Since 2018, the proportion of people able to speak more than a few words or phrases of te reo Māori rose from 24 percent to 30 percent. This follows a previous, smaller, rise between 2016 and 2018.

The proportion of people able to speak te reo Māori at least fairly well also increased, from 6.1 percent in 2018 to 7.9 percent in 2021 – this is the first time a significant increase in this level of te reo Māori proficiency has been observed from GSS data.

Nowadays, there are many opportunities to learn, engage and speak te reo Māori. Part of the challenge is taking that first step forward and leaning in — allowing yourself the time and space to be comfortable in situations that may make you feel unsettled. Being an active learner of te reo Māori is an ongoing and never-ending process. As the world continues to progress forward, so too will the language.

Here are some resources for anyone wishing to embark on a personal or professional reo Māori journey. We've aimed to provide some helpful learning activities, no matter where you're starting from.

Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa | National Library of New Zealand

Topic Explorer has Te reo Māori.

Te Kupenga online has:

• Ngā taonga reo Māori

• Kiriki hori

• Drawn to te ao Māori

• Letter from Eruera

• ‘I shall not die’.

AnyQuestions has Te reo Māori (Māori language).

Ko te reo kia rere | Let the language flow

Check out some of the following reo journeys across Aotearoa New Zealand:

• Air New Zealand helps te reo Māori fly — Scoop

• ‘Dial a Māori’ and other mistakes Pākehā make — E-Tangata

• Hemi Kelly's journey to helping others on their reo Māori journey — Te Ao Māori News

• Jack Tame honoured for championing te reo Maori on TVNZ 1 Breakfast — 1News

• Stories of Te Reo — Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori

• Swimming classes in te reo offered in Pukekohe — Te Ao Māori News.

Ētahi atu rauemi tautoko | Other reliable resources

• Māori Maps — interactive maps with a focus on ancestral identity, connecting Māori descendants with their marae and enabling visitors to make contact with marae in the appropriate ways.

• Reo Māori resources — includes resources aligned to te reo Māori curriculum guidelines and more from Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI).

• Reo Māori resources — filtered resources, including greetings, phrases, word lists and tikanga for everyday use at home, in the workplace and in the classroom.

• Te mana o te reo Māori timeline — a chronological list of events important to the history of te reo Māori from 1200 to the present day from Te Tai Treaty Settlement Stories.

• Te reo Māori i Te Papa | Māori language at Te Papa — articles, quizzes, events and activity books to celebrate and learn about te reo Māori.

Ngā ara ako | Ways to learn

• Māori Now — provides a great selection of videos to stream in te reo Māori.

• Ngā ara ako | Where to learn — educational programmes from Te Rangaihi Reo Māori.

• Taringa podcast — podcast to learn te reo and tikanga Māori from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

• Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: Māori language quiz — quiz to test your knowledge of Māori words and phrases from Newshub.

Ngā taupānga tautoko | Apps to support learning

• Aki — paddle your waka and escape the taniwha by learning and identifying Māori words and phrases.

• Kōrerorero — teaches te reo Māori through listening, repetition and learning vocabulary and phrases that can be introduced into real-life situations.

• Kupu — uses the camera on your phone to translate objects into te reo Māori.

• Hina — explore the Maramataka phases of the moon and see what Māori have used for generations as a guide for planting, fishing and living.

• Tatau — a competitive counting game aiming to teach you, your friends and whānau how to count to a million in te reo Māori.

Through resonance comes cognisance,
Through awareness comes understanding,
Through understanding comes knowledge,
Through knowledge comes life and wellbeing.

No matter who you are or where you come from, let te reo Māori flow through our world.