Championing te reo:

Former Play School presenter Rawiri Paratene returns to children’s television to voice a talking tree for a local bilingual animated series. Sarah Nealon reports.

Whale Rider star fights for the Mãori language.

If you can remember a particular local children’s TV show from the 70s and 80s, there is a good chance you will recognise the man in the picture above.

Rawiri Paratene was a young father when he landed a presenting gig on Play School, a series made for a preschool audience.

Decades later the actor, who had a starring role in Whale Rider, is involved in another New Zealand series targeted at the under-fives.

Called T karo Tribe, it is an animated show which aims to teach children te reo M ori.

Paratene lends his voice to a talking tree named Papa Rakau.

A grandfather of 15, Paratene is a strong advocate for children learning te reo.

“I’m not fluent but I’ve had grandchildren who’ve never spoken a word of English to me,” he says.

“To communicate with them I have to speak M ori but their M ori is far (more) advanced than mine and they are quite amused by some of the things I say, some of my grammar, and some of the words that I come up with. I’m very happy about it because it was the other way around when I was their age.”

Paratene would like New Zealand schools to show more commitment to the language. “I believe M ori must be a core subject in our education system and the sooner we do that the better,” he says.

He is keenly aware that there are arguments against this.

“People will say that the language isn’t spoken anywhere else but, hey, nor is Danish, nor is Swedish, nor is Norwegian,” he says.

“None of those languages are spoken anywhere else but their children grow up with it because it’s the language of that land.

“So all of those answers are easily countered. It just needs a straight-up commitment.”