Te reo tutorials going online
A Taranaki couple hope their new online te reo Ma¯ori course will break down barriers to learning the language.
Clive and Wharekuka Tongaawhikau, who live in Waitara, teach kapa haka in about 23 schools around Taranaki Maunga (Mt Taranaki).
Their latest project provides a 12-week online course for beginners.
The Zoom-based programme, which starts on October 5, is open to everyone, and Wharekuka said 40 people had already signed up.
As the face of the course, she has spent time ‘‘burning the midnight oil’’ to develop the content, which will focus on vowel and consonant sounds, basic pronunciation and learning short sentences which can be used in everyday conversations. ‘‘I’m so looking forward to it, I can’t wait.’’
The sessions will be held from 6pm7.30pm on either Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays. They will also be recorded so students can watch them again.
As the course is online, there is no limit on numbers attending and people can learn from the comfort of their own homes.
The couple said they wanted to offer a course which complemented others already available and also filled a gap they had identified during the course of their work in the community.
Wharekuka said she hoped the new programme would take away some barriers which might stand in the way of people deciding to learn te reo.
‘‘A lot of it is fear of getting it wrong,’’ she said.
Going online to share their skills is nothing new for the Tongaawhikau wha¯nau.
The couple’s son, Clive Jr, is also experiencing online success with te reo tutorials and Pareti Pareta sessions, in which he teaches Ma¯ori mixed martial arts, on the Gold Coast in Australia, where he now lives.
For more information about the te reo course, email or call 0273095338.