Don’t be afraid to let te reo do the talking

Te Wiki o te Reo Ma¯ ori 2022. A milestone in growing the use of te reo Ma¯ ori in the community, 50 years after Hana Te Hemara marched to Parliament, signatures in hand, to ensure one of our official languages was not lost.

In years before this, Ma¯ ori, in some instances, had the language quite literally beaten from them, while others, believing that to progress was to lose te reo Ma¯ ori from their communities and homes, stopped using it altogether.

In those 50 years we have seen the growth of Ma¯ ori Language Day into Ma¯ ori Language Week, and the continued normalisation of te reo.

I have been lucky enough to speak to some prominent Kiwis about their journey learning not only te reo Ma¯ ori, but also of their history, their culture, and the struggles those before them have undergone.

Award winning journalist and stalwart of 6pm in NZ homes, Mike McRoberts spoke of being called out as ‘not Ma¯ ori enough’ due to his lack of te reo knowledge, and his recent documentary was an eye-opening account of what so many grown Kiwis go through in an attempt to learn, and reconnect.

Brad Kora and Miharo Gregory from popular band L.A.B also spoke of some of the negative feedback they’ve received while bringing Ma¯ ori language to the forefront of New Zealand music, alongside so many other musicians, from Dave Dobbyn to Benee.

I count myself lucky to have grown up in a part of New Zealand where te reo Ma¯ ori and kapa haka were as easily accepted and used in school and home as maths and science, and that my Ma¯ ori heritage has allowed me to use te reo Ma¯ ori throughout my life, without secondguessing if I was getting it ‘right’.

I know others have a very different experience, but believe me when I say, there’s no one waiting to growl at you for a mispronunciation or a word in the wrong place!

I’m by no means fluent, but it’s only through trial and error that I can learn, so that my tamariki can also treasure this taonga of New Zealand.

Karawhiua! (Ka Rah Whew ah) Which means- give it a go!

Don’t miss Adam Green and on The Hits Hawke’s Bay from 6am to 9am, Monday to Friday