‘No pressure’ at bilingual cafe
Some people come in well rehearsed, with a piece of paper as a back-up.
Others are more experienced te reo Ma¯ ori speakers who order a kawhe [coffee], kaputı¯ [cup of tea] or tiakarete wera [hot chocolate] off the cuff.
There’s no judgement at Hamilton’s bilingual cafe, The District, owner Lesley Leevey said.
One Indian customer came in to the Te Rapa cafe determined to have a go after a previous Stuff article on the cafe.
‘‘He collected the [phrase sheet] that I have got from Massey University . ... He photocopied it and he laminated it. And he gave it out to all his team,’’ she said.
All sorts of people try, Leevey said, and the number of Pa¯ keha¯ has blown her away.
‘‘I think it’s just because Ma¯ ori can always go somewhere and talk with other Ma¯ ori but for Pa¯ keha¯ there’s not a lot of places where you can feel relaxed enough to give it a go,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m really excited when they come in and they try . ... It’s wonderful.’’
‘‘If they keep doing it, after a while they won’t need their bit of paper, and they’ll move on to the next one.’’
Ordering in te reo proves a one-time thing for some customers, but others keep trying. Leevey has been encouraged to watch one customer progress from ordering a coffee to holding a conversation. The cafe has also been the site of a language assessment for students from Rototuna High School, who were filmed ordering coffee and inquiring about the price.
‘‘For me it normalised the reo for them. Okay, we can go and order our coffee. That’s an everyday part of life,’’ Leevey said.
‘‘One of them even gave me some feedback [in te reo]: they didn’t like the slice,’’ she added with a laugh.
She likes it when people involved with Mahuru Ma¯ ori – a challenge to speak te reo Ma¯ ori only in September – come in.
‘‘They’re the ninjas. I’m a second language learner. I’m not fluent,’’ she said. ‘‘They fill the room with reo. So Ma¯ ori coming in, they hear it, and they think, this is a cool place.’’
Ma¯ ori who don’t have much reo are also encouraged at The District, and some staffers are still learning too.
‘‘It’s not a marae. There’s no pressure. That’s a big thing,’’ Leevey said.
Leevey has owned the cafe for about three-and-a-half years and always spoke te reo to Ma¯ ori customers. The cafe has officially called itself bilingual for about two years, after a suggestion from a customer.