Masses turn up for free class
A small-scale Ma¯ ori language class planned for a Christchurch fish and chip shop attracted more than 600 people, forcing organisers to book out a school auditorium to accommodate the crowds.
Fush restaurant owner Anton Matthews announced on May 12 he would be holding free te reo classes at his Wigram restaurant. Interest in the Facebook event skyrocketed – more than 3000 people said they were keen. Owner Anton Matthews
‘‘There was just no way we could have had it at Fush. We asked people to register and once we got above 80 or 90 people, we started looking for somewhere else,’’ Matthews said.
The event was moved to the Christchurch Boys’ High School auditorium and started on Monday at 7pm.
Matthews said it was ‘‘a really cool atmosphere’’.
‘‘I was very proud to be a Kiwi living in Christchurch [Monday] night,’’ he said.
‘‘I didn’t think there was this much enthusiasm to learn te reo in Christchurch and I’m pleased to say I got this one wrong.’’
He planned to run three more Monday classes, all at Boys’ High, where Matthews used to teach te reo. He has a degree in te reo Ma¯ ori, indigenous studies and teaching.
The lessons would progressively become more in depth, but that should not discourage people. A video of the first lesson was on Fush’s Facebook page.
‘‘If people came this week, there is a whole new class for them to learn next week,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re committed to four one-hour lessons, and if there is still interest after that, well, we’ll see what happens.’’