I was too lazy to learn te reo M¯aori

Ma¯ ori is one of two official spoken languages of Aotearoa, and while it often doesn't seem to be treated as so, I am one of 3850 tauira across the nation studying te wa¯ nanga level-two course this year.

For me, learning te reo Ma¯ ori is a privilege – especially as Nga¯ ti Pa¯ keha¯ .

And to be taught about such an important and beautiful reo (language) and ahurea (culture) that has greatly shaped – and continues to shape – this country is a privilege I believe all Kiwis should be afforded.

When I started attending beginner reo classes with Te Wa¯ nanga o Aotearoa in March, I was someone who said Acka-rowa (Akaroa), Kye-cora (Kaiko¯ ura) and Om-aroo (O¯ amaru) 75 per cent of the time, as that was my default.

I wanted to be accurate and respectful, but it was a habit of a lifetime and I was nervous about attempting the correct pronunciations and screwing them up.

And – while I don’t like to admit it – I was lazy.

While at primary school in O¯ tautahi (Christchurch) in the early 1990s, I learnt a small amount of reo Ma¯ ori and once stayed on a marae for a few days. But that’s where my token reo and tikanga (custom) education ended.

I gave it little thought until a few years ago when I started to realise just how ignorant I was about such a massive part of my country’s – and therefore my – identity. I was ashamed.

After returning from a life abroad, this year was the year I set about changing my ways.

Ma¯ ori is a relatively easy reo to learn. After six months of level-two Certificate in Te Ara Reo Ma¯ ori akomanga (classes), it seems to me to be logical – much easier than the often inexplicable English.

For starters, there are just five vowels and 10 consonants and every letter you see is pronounced.

My 431 fellow tauira (students) in O¯ tautahi span every ethnicity, age and walk of life.

We are all treated the same and encourage each other, led by our passionate and supportive kaiako (teachers) and kaia¯ whina (teaching assistants), who make it both rewarding and fun.

There’s some sort of saying out there about learning being a journey and, while I still have a couple more months until the course is complete, fitting in three hours of class a week, noho marae (marae stays) and wa¯ nanga (forums) around a demanding work schedule and other commitments has, at times, been a battle.

But the kaiako and kaia¯ whina want us to achieve and do their best to see us right – even when we don’t do our homework.

Ma¯ ori is one of two official spoken languages of Aotearoa, and while it often doesn’t seem to be treated as so, I am one of 3850 tauira in 32 towns and cities across the nation studying te wa¯ nanga level-two course this year.

Student numbers are up almost 60 per cent on five years ago. And that’s just the wa¯ nanga, let alone all the other tertiary institutes and kura (schools) offering lessons. Te reo Ma¯ ori is in good hands.

‘‘Ko te reo to taikura o te whakaao ma¯ rama – The language is the key to understanding.’’

And, as a side note on understanding, Stuff has just adopted the use of macrons on Ma¯ ori words, which I applaud. Better late than never, as they say.

For those who aren’t so sure about their importance, I present to you one case study: ta¯ ra means dollar, while tara means vagina. Macrons matter.

Jo Gilbert is a news director in Stuff’s Waitaha (Canterbury) newsroom.