Rachael Comer
An English-born teacher, now living in South Canterbury, is embracing the Ma¯ori language and urges others to do the same.
Helen Stamps moved to New Zealand 11 years ago and early on in her new homeland decided she wanted to learn a new language.
‘‘When I moved here the school I was at wasn’t interested in letting me learn Ma¯ori,’’ she said.
Several years later she began teaching at Winchester Rural School and the deputy principal there, Aroha Stewart, inspired Stamps’ ‘‘restored interest’’ in learning Ma¯ori. ‘‘She was very supportive of me. ‘‘I then began looking for a job and applied to Arowhenua Ma¯ori School. I said ‘I don’t know the language but I want you teach me’.’’
She began teaching at the small school outside Temuka at the beginning of this year, and since then has embraced the language.
Stamps can now confidently say several phrases and basic sentences and says she is learning more and more, being immersed in the language at the school.
One day she hopes to be able to speak it fluently.
‘‘I said to them when I started here, I want to be more involved and that if they’re prepared to teach me, I’m prepared to learn.’’
For a family from the other side of the world, the Stamps’ are very much learning the culture of the land.
‘‘My girls are involved in kapahaka at their school so the Ma¯ori language, and the culture, have become part of everyday life for us.
‘‘The more we embrace the culture, the better. It’s about looking after family and looking after the environment,’’ she said.
Learning about the culture was important for the formation of learning the language, she said.
‘‘It’s such an expressive language.’’
Stamps said she had always shied away from learning a language in the past. ‘‘I’d never liked it, to be honest. ‘‘I find the best place to learn is here at Arowhenua as I am immersed in the language and here they are so respectful of the learners.’’
One of the hardest things with learning the language she has found has been its confliction with her English accent.
‘‘I have found the vowels the hardest. I’m from Birmingham.’’
Stamps has been learning through a self-monitoring course book with audio. She goes to the library and works ‘‘my way through the children’s books there’’.
She encouraged anyone to learn the language as it needed to be supported and recognised for the gem it was, she said.
‘‘We need to keep learning, embracing, we are the best people to learn.’’
She also felt a need to cut down ‘‘the divide’’ of the language.
‘‘Everyone needs, at least, to be able to say ‘how are you?’ in Ma¯ori and ‘have a good day’.’’
She said this would have a ‘‘huge impact’’ on the future of the language.
‘‘I was shocked Ma¯ori was discouraged years ago.
‘‘We need to make a stand to embrace it, and people need to say ‘I’m from New Zealand, this is part of me’.’’
Stamps said if people did not accept the culture, and language, they ran the risk of becoming ‘‘a tourist in their own country’’.