Barnaby Weir from The Black Seeds talks about the kaupapa behind translating their hit, 'So True', into te reo Māori for Waiata Anthems. Video / Supplied
“It’s a celebration of how far we’ve come, both as a country and as a people.”
These are the words of Bay of Plenty-based Online Reo Agency (ORA) co-founder Tuterangiwhiu Grant-Cairns at the beginning of the 48th celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori was first marked in 1975. Three years earlier, on September 14 1972, a petition or te petihana reo Māori was delivered to Parliament; it had 30,000 signatures and challenged politicians to prioritise saving te reo Māori.
Since then, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has evolved into an annual campaign by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission.
The campaign’s goal is to reach one million speakers of te reo Māori by 2040.
Grant-Cairns and his team at ORA teach te reo Māori via remote, online learning, in-workplace programmes, and face-to-face classes. They also provide translation services to government organisations and private businesses.
ORA’s goal is for te reo Māori to be “the spoken” language of Aotearoa.
“We need everyone to be learning. It is the native language of this land.”
Grant-Cairns said te reo Māori was the core of the Māori world.
“Without it, we cannot even refer to the names of people or places.”
Tuterangiwhiu and Carmen Grant-Cairns with daughters Ivy, 6, and Alivya, 5. Photo / Alex Cairns
Grant-Cairns said in the past 10 years, he’d already seen “a lot” of change.
“There are more people taking on the journey and the challenge of learning te reo.
“There has definitely been a greater uptake for te reo Māori and it’s been inspired by a commitment to our tamariki, our kids.”
Grant-Cairns said he was moved to see parents and grandparents begin their journey in te reo after being inspired by their tamariki coming home from kura speaking the language.
For Grant-Cairns’ family, te reo is part of the fabric of everyday life. So Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an opportunity to share the language outside the home.
“It’s about using te reo when we’re interacting with others, out and about on the daily.”
When asked how people who are already fluent in te reo Māori could celebrate the week, Grant-Cairns’ answer was simple: share.
“It’s an opportunity to normalise te reo Māori. Take it as an opportunity to share as much as you can.”
For anyone taking their first steps in learning te reo, Grant-Cairns said it was important to remember that there were levels to learning.
“You can use this week to learn a few more words - words you can use every day.”
Tuterangiwhiu Grant-Cairns (third from right) with the staff of Online Reo Agency.
In an open letter released on Friday Māori Language Commissioner professor Rawinia Higgins said whether some liked it or not, people all over Aotearoa were preparing to celebrate te reo.
“I don’t need to convince you that New Zealanders love te reo Māori, because New Zealanders are showing their love for te reo by walking the talk,” Higgins’ open letter said.
“It’s not just communities, it’s companies too. From our airlines to our airwaves, our banks to our buses.
“In 50 years we have gone from protests protecting our language, to parades promoting it.”
In her open letter, Higgins said te reo belonged in New Zealand.
“My hope is that New Zealanders will continue to make te reo feel like it is at home.”
Some events from across the Bay of Plenty this Māori Language Week:
Tairua Library is hosting its regular Te Reo Māori Conversation Group from 10am to 11am on Tuesday, September 12.
Māori health agency, Toi Tangata, is hosting its first in-person kura reo Wednesday through Friday at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s Mokoia Campus.
At Te Puke Library on Tuesday, September 12 at 11am, Kala Boyes will give an introduction to rongoā rākau and on Thursday September 14 at 10.30am the library will host te reo storytelling by Attiya Andrews.
On Sunday, September 17, Rotorua Music School will be celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with an afternoon full of musical performances at Level 13 Theme Rooms and Costume Hire from 3pm to 6pm.
Unversity of Waikato Tauranga is hosting a week-long programme dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating Aotearoa’s unique indigenous language.
