Help to have a go at speaking Ma¯ori

Kia Kaha te reo Ma¯ ori — let’s make the Ma¯ ori language strong is the theme for Te Wiki o te Reo Ma¯ ori.

The Manawatu¯ Guardian is doing our bit to highlight Ma¯ ori names around Papaoiea that are often mispronounced.

The vowels, aeiou, when pronounced correctly, will always help in pronunciation. The sounds are: a — ah; e — pen; i- sea; o-court; u — who.

Ahakoa iti, a¯ kona, ko¯ rerotia — learn a little, use a little.

Here are a few words to practise: Aokautere, Whariti, Rangita¯ ne

Watch the video on pronunciation at nzherald.co.nz — Local Focus, made with funding by NZ on Air.

■ From Te Ma¯ ngai Paho:

The Ma¯ ori media funding agency Te Ma¯ ngai Pa¯ ho (TMP) is promoting te reo Ma¯ ori with the hashtag #1miriona on social media.

The Pepeha Challenge is where people will be asked to share their pepeha (tribal saying), and a pepeha app to help beginning learners of te reo construct their pepeha.

This is the second part of the Te

Ma¯ ngai Paho Video Challenge to promote te reo Ma¯ ori.

There are a series of eight videos that explain pepeha and show a range of people learning or reciting their respective pepeha. They then challenge a variety of other people to share their pepeha.

The series of videos aims to encourage Ma¯ ori and non-Ma¯ ori to participate in the pepeha challenge. (see the introductory Pepeha Challenge video at youtu.be/ sXRjYX4V89Q.

To support this initiative, TMP commissioned Kiwa Digital to build the Pepeha app which was launched on Monday.

The simple app is a tool to help te reo Ma¯ ori learners construct a pepeha, assist with pronunciation and help them publish when they are confident to share.

TMP chief executive Larry Parr said the number of people being exposed to information disseminated by social media channels was too big to ignore.

“We are pleased and excited by the initial response to the Te Ma¯ ngai Pa¯ ho Video challenge.

“#1miriona provides the opportunity to build an online audience that we, together with our partners, can take on a te reo Ma¯ ori learning journey.

“It is consistent with our strategy to shift people from zero to passive to active speakers of te reo Ma¯ ori and aligns with the Government goal of having one million Kiwis speaking some Ma¯ ori by 2040.”

The #1miriona campaign complements other Ma¯ ori language promotions during the month, particularly Mahuru Ma¯ ori, Ma¯ ori Language Day and Te Wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori.

■ Your news: contact Editorial on 350-3589. For your online copy: communitynews.co.nz