A surprise serving of te reo
A video of a Rotorua McDonald’s employee serving customers in te reo Ma¯ ori has gone viral, with many praising the man for speaking the language.
Last Sunday afternoon, Nakita Ferguson, a Ma¯ori woman from Opotiki, caught the attention of Elijah-Blue Francis-Sorenson when standing in line having a conversation with her aunty in te reo.
Ferguson told the Herald that Francis-Sorenson was a bit “iffy” at first when he spoke to her aunty and her 6-year-old niece, Matariki Taua, but eventually took their order in te reo.
He then also took the order for her son, Cassius Church, 5, in te reo Ma¯ ori.
After eating, Ferguson’s niece wanted a Strawberry
Pie and that’s when she decided to capture the “heartwarming” exchange on video.
“I honestly was shocked, only because that never ever happened before, not at one shop that I’ve been to,” she said. “No one speaks te reo. Especially to the children and I felt that as if he was nurturing our little seeds to grow.”
The video has gone viral on Facebook with more than 4000 reactions and 1600 shares. Many
praised the employee, with one saying he “deserves a promotion”. Another wrote: “If the rest of NZ embraced our culture like this man, it would be an epic movement to the healing of our people.”
Ferguson said her son, who had just started Kura Kaupapa and “was really shy to talk Ma¯ori to anyone”, was “amazed and now he’s speaking te reo wherever”.
Francis-Sorenson, who is also Ma¯ ori, told the Herald that it was not the first time he had spoken te reo to customers. “I encourage our Kura Kaupapa students to speak Ma¯ ori to me whenever they come through.”
He said speaking te reo was encouraged by management.
A McDonald’s spokesperson told the Herald: “It’s great to see customers and McDonald’s staff conversing in te reo.
“Our language policy is focused on inclusion, and creating an environment where customers and staff feel comfortable.”