Learning te reo a piece of keke
Every Wednesday night, I farewell my toddler as she spreads mashed kūmara into her highchair and I set out to join 20 other locals in learning te reo Māori with the hope of graduating from ‘‘Kia ora!’’
We’re an eclectic bunch, with a shared love of kai and varying reasons for committing to this free course; some are reconnecting with their language, some are exercising their brain in retirement while others are growing their knowledge for their work. For me, I’d love to connect with others using te reo and see the language flourish.
Despite the supportive environment, I was very apprehensive about speaking out loud in class. The first time, I butchered my greeting in a highpitched voice, sounding like I was asking a question rather than saying hello.
These days, however, we’re much more at home and are confident making mistakes and I made a cracker one ...
OPINION:
Ka kai keke ahau means I’m going to eat cake, which is wonderful, unless you say it more like Ka kai kēkē ahau which means I’m going to eat armpits ... there are some rumours I’m going to have to address.
In all honesty, learning te reo has given me a spring in my step – a greater understanding of both language and our country. Alongside the mahi, we play te reo charades and learn the meanings behind place names I’ve known my whole life. But nothing will beat that special moment, when we caught ourselves mid-sentence realising we had just had a full-blown conversation in te reo and we understood every word.
Māori Language Week is September 13-19; no matter what stage you’re at, I encourage you to take the opportunity and join me in challenging yourself over this week.
I’ve been working fulltime while studying so I’ve bagged some tricks to help me retain the learning.
Post-it notes all over the house are hard for you to avoid, and the more memorable the better.
Inside my biscuit tin, it reads Ki waho! (Get out!) and underneath the clock He aha te taima? (What’s the time?)
Adopt a buddy. They can offer encouragement along the way or hold you accountable.
Kupu is an addictive app where you can take a photo of the object you’re questioning and be given the translation – very handy when you’re on the go!
Spotify has some waiata playlists for car rides; as my knowledge grows so does the understanding of these beautiful songs. Of course, nothing beats practising with others – Neighbourly can be a great tool for this.
You could create or join an online group to chat in te reo, or add an event listing in your suburb to meet up at a local coffee shop and speak te reo. Perhaps over a hot kawhe and a slice of well-pronounced keke?
Kia kaha, Aotearoa!