Kaua e pukuriri ki te reo (Don’t be angry at te reo)

Te¯ na¯ koutou. Kua tae mai te wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori. Ko te¯ nei te wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori tuatahi e a¯ hei ana ahau ki te ko¯ rero me te ma¯ rama i te reo rangatira. Ko te¯ra¯ ta¯ku moemoea¯, i puta ai i te ao! Aroha mai. E koretake ana au i nga¯ pu¯ kenga o te ko¯ rero me te tuhia o te reo Ma¯ ori. Engari, ka taea au ki te hanga i e¯ tahi rerenga ma¯ ma¯ . Ka taea au ki te ma¯ rama i e¯ tahi ko¯ rero. E hara i te tere. He a¯ ta haere ke¯!

I te¯ nei tau i oho to¯ ku nga¯ kau me te hua o te reo Ma¯ ori. Ka¯ ore au ka taea ki te ma¯ rama tika i nga¯ ma¯ tauranga o te wairua, me te mauri, i te ao Ma¯ ori. He ho¯ honu e¯ nei mea. Engari, kei te mo¯ hio au te¯ nei: e harikoa ana au i te¯ nei tau. Kia tau te rangima¯ rie i te¯ nei tau. Na¯ te mea: I tı¯mata au te ako o te reo i te akomanga o Heke Reo i Te Wa¯ nanga o Raukawa. I a O¯ taki ki te raki o Whanga-nui-a-tara.

Nga¯ mihi nui ki nga¯ kaiako me nga¯ kaia¯ whina rawe i te wa¯ nanga, mo o¯ u ra¯ tou ma¯ tauranga, me manaakitanga. (Aroha mai mo nga hapa i te¯ nei tuhinga. No¯ ku te he¯ .) Nga¯ mihi hoki ki nga¯ a¯ konga. He tino rawe e¯ ra¯ ta¯ ngata – ta¯ ngata Ma¯ ori me ta¯ ngata

Pa¯ keha¯ . He waka eke noa, ne¯ ra¯ ?

I tuhia au, mo Stuff, i te kaupapa o te ao Ma¯ ori me aku haerenga i te ako o te reo Ma¯ ori i te¯ nei tau.

He tino rawe nga¯ whakautu na¯ e¯ tahi o nga¯ ta¯ ngata pa¯ nui. Ka¯ ore he pai, nga¯ whakautu o e¯ tahi atu ta¯ ngata.

He pukuriri era ta¯ ngata. He aha ai? Na¯ te mea – I te¯ nei wiki – i tuhia au i te reo Ma¯ ori noa iho. Te¯ ra¯ te hara ki to¯ u ra¯ tou whakaaro. Na¯ te mea e whakaaro ana e¯ tahi ta¯ ngata he hoariri te reo ki a ra¯ tou.

Ka¯ ore au i mo¯ hio he aha ai. Te¯ ra¯ pea, kei te ma¯ rama e¯ ra¯ ta¯ ngata te hara o o¯ u ra¯ tou tu¯ puna Pa¯ keha¯ i te¯ nei rohe. I ta¯ haetia te whenua e o¯ u ra¯ tou tu¯ puna. I ta¯ haetia te ngahere e o¯ u ra¯ tou tu¯ puna. I ta¯ haetia te reo hoki e o¯ u ra¯ tou tupu¯ na. E ta¯ hae tonu ana e¯ ra¯ tangata pukuriri.

Engari: e hiahia ana ma¯ tou, o¯ u ma¯ tou taonga. Ahakoa nga¯ whakautu ka¯ ore-he-pai, e hiahia ana au te hononga o e¯ tahi ta¯ ngata Ma¯ ori (ae, me e¯ tahi ta¯ ngata Pa¯ keha¯ hoki) ki te roopu o te ako o te reo Ma¯ ori. Te¯ ra¯ te mea nui o a¯ ku tuhinga i te¯ nei tau. Mehemea kotahi tangata ka hono ki te¯ ra¯ kaupapa – i aku tuhinga – he harikoa ahau.

Kua huri au ki te mutunga o ta¯ ku ko¯ rero mo te wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori. Nga¯ mihi ki a koutou, o nga¯ ta¯ ngata mı¯haro! Oh, kei te katakata au i te whakaaro o e¯ tahi ta¯ ngata me te¯ tahi rorohiko. Te¯ ra¯ pea me kimi e¯ ra¯ ta¯ ngata mo te ma¯ ramatanga o te¯ nei ko¯ rero me te awhina o Google translate.

Kei te rangirua koutou o e¯ra¯ ta¯ngata i te whakawhititanga o tera mihini?

Kaua ko¯ rero ki te¯ tahi mihini mo te mo¯ hio o te reo Ma¯ ori! He aha te mea nui o te ao? Ka¯ ore he robot. He ta¯ ngata, he ta¯ ngata, he ta¯ ngata.

Ako te reo, e hoa ma¯ !

The wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori has arrived. This is my first wiki o te reo Ma¯ ori where I can actually speak the language of my tu¯ puna. This is a dream come true. My skill level is still very low, but I can put together simple sentences, and I can understand some of what is being said around me – as long as it is not spoken too quickly.

This year my heart has awoken with the blossoming of te reo Ma¯ ori.

I do not fully understand concepts such as wairua, and mauri from the Ma¯ ori world. These are deep concepts.

But I do know that learning the language has made me more happy and peaceful this year. All because I started learning te reo Ma¯ ori fulltime, in full immersion.

I want to thank the knowledgeable and generous teaching staff at Te Wa¯ nanga o Raukawa in O¯ taki, north of Wellington, and the incredible students, Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ , who are also on this waka.

This year I have written for Stuff about things Ma¯ ori, and my experiences on the course. Some of the responses have been very good, others not good. These come from people who are angry.

Why? This week it’s because my column is written in a language they consider to be their enemy.

I do not know why these people feel such anger towards the language. Maybe they feel bad because they know in their hearts that their Pa¯ keha¯ tu¯ puna stole this land. They stole the forests and they stole the language. The theft continues with the likes of these angry people. But Ma¯ ori want it back.

Despite the many not-good responses, my hope is that this weekly column will encourage Ma¯ ori people (and yes, Pa¯ keha¯ people too) to join the learners of te reo Ma¯ ori. If I knew that even one person joined this kaupapa because of it, then I would feel very happy.

Oh, and I have to chuckle at the thought of people trying to use Google translate on this. Are you confused yet, because of the translating ability of a machine? Don’t trust a machine to understand te reo Ma¯ ori!

What is the most important thing in the world? It isn’t a robot. It is the people, the people, the people.

Learn the language, my friends!