Choose te reo Māori this year

Monday, 5 February 2018, 11:18 am
Press Release: Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori

Pānui Pāpāho | News Release

5 Huitanguru |February 2018

Kōwhiria ko te reo Māori i tēnei tau	Choose te reo Māori this year
Me tīmata ināianei, me mau tonu rānei ki te ara! Koia nei te kupu a Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori ki te rangatahi me ō rātou mātua e kōwhiri nei i ngā kaupapa ako i te tīmatanga o te tau hou.	Start now – or keep at it! That’s the message from the Māori Language Commission to young people and parents making education choices at the start of a school year.
E kī ana te tumuaki o Te Taura Whiri, a Ngahiwi Apanui, “ehara i te mea kei ngā kōhanga reo anake, engari e whāngaia atu ana te reo Māori kia iti nei ki ngā tamariki i te nuinga o ngā whare kōhungahunga. Ki te kawea tonutia te reo i te kura tuatahi me te kura tuarua, ko te ara tēnā e matatau ai aua tamariki ki te reo taketake o Aotearoa ā tōna wā.	The Commission’s Chief Executive Ngahiwi Apanui says “not only in kōhanga reo but in most pre-schools children now get at least an introduction to the Māori language. Keeping this up through primary and secondary school will set children on a pathway to fluency in New Zealand’s own language.
“E whakahau ana te Wāhanga 61 (3) ii o te Ture Mātauranga kia mahi mārire ia kura ki te whakarite whakaakoranga e pā ana ki ngā tikanga Māori me te reo Māori mā ngā ākonga wā-poha ki te tono ngā mātua kia pērā te kura. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading	“The Education Act Section 61 (3) ii requires each school to take reasonable steps to provide instruction in tikanga Māori (Māori culture) and te reo Māori (the Māori language) for full-time students whose parents ask for it.
“Kia kaua ngā mātua e tawhitawhi ki te tono kia āhei ā rātou tamariki ki te ako i te reo Māori. Ka uaua ake ki ētahi kura te manaaki i tēnei tū tono, tēnā i ētahi atu. Heoi anō, me titikaha ngā mātua, kia kore ai e ngere ā rātou tamariki.	“Parents should not hesitate to ask for their children’s right to learn the Māori language. Some schools will face greater challenges than others in recognising this right but parents should persist in ensuring their children do not miss out.
“Ko tāku e māharahara nei, he tokomaha rawa ngā tamariki kei te memeha te reo Māori kua mau i a rātou i te kōhanga reo me te kura. Ka tino pōuri te ngākau i tēnei āhua, inā hoki, ka ngaro noa ngā mea kua ākona, ka tahi, ka uaua ake te ara whai i te mātauranga ki ētahi, ka rua, ka whētōtō anō ngā mahi whakarauora ake i te reo Māori, ka toru. Me mahi ngātahi ngā whānau, ngā hapori me ngā kaituku i te mātauranga ki te rongoā i tēnei tūāhua.	“I am concerned that too many children, are losing language they have acquired at kōhanga reo or in school. Every time this happens it’s a tragedy – not only because learning is lost but because potential further education is made more difficult and the revitalisation of the Māori language is slowed. Whānau, communities and education providers need to work together to address this.
“Nō reira, anei tā mātou ki a koutou: takahia ngā huarahi kua takoto hei ako i te reo Māori, ka mau tonu ai ki aua ara.” Kei te akiaki anō hoki a Ngahiwi Apanui i ngā ākonga e piki ake ana ki ngā kura o te pae tuatoru kia whai whakaaro ki te reo Māori hei kaupapa mā rātou i ō rātou tohu mātauranga.	“So our message is: take advantage of opportunities to learn Māori and keep at it. Ngahiwi Apanui also urged students entering tertiary education to consider Māori language as part of their degree.
“Kia kaha ake te rere o te reo Māori i te ao pakihi, i te ao tōrangapū me te umaraha o Aotearoa, he mea nui te mōhio ki te whakahua tika i ngā kupu Māori, ki te mihi ki te reo Māori, me te mōhio ki te whai haere i ngā kōrero Māori. Ā, mō ētahi, mā te oroko tūtakitanga ki te reo Māori, ka tuwhera te kūaha ki tēnei mea te māramatanga ki ngā tāngata o Aotearoa me ngā tātai kōrero o mua, hāunga anō te tipu haere o te matatau ki te reo Māori.” Kōwhiria ko te reo Māori i tēnei tau	“As more te reo Māori is used in business, politics and the wider New Zealand community it’s a real asset to be able to pronounce words correctly, exchange greetings and pick up the gist of what is being said. And for many, introductory exposure to te reo Māori will open up a door to a better understanding of New Zealand’s people and history – without even mentioning the opportunity to progress towards fluency. Choose te reo Māori this year

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