Tuehu Harris: Historic image helps sustain the Māori language journey

Two striking images have been chosen to commemorate 40 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori.

Opinion

We should take a leaf from the late Dame Whina Cooper and hold tight to our culture, says Tuehu Harris.

Forty years ago, in April 1975, a high profile protest march from the Far North to Wellington was being planned to co-ordinate with September 14, 1975. This was the date of the first official Maori Language Day, a celebration that would grow into the Maori Language Week we know now. Together with the 1975 land march, these moments marked a turning point in New Zealand's history, and sounded a call to action to safeguard future generations of Aotearoa New Zealand; its land; its language; its identity.

The great French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, said: "Of all the means of expression, photography is the only one that fixes a precise moment in time." Michael Tubberty's image for this newspaper of the late Dame Whina Cooper holding tightly to the hand of her mokopuna, Irenee, as they set off down a metal road, manifests exactly as Cartier-Bresson says. Dust, gravel and around 1000km between them and their destination, this incredible image is at once observational, poignant and visionary.

The image captured widespread attention, and has since become iconic and symbolic of the first steps taken by a nation that wished to put right, to reconcile and grow up. Te Ropu Matakite - "those with foresight" - stayed at 25 marae from Te Hapua to Wellington as they journeyed with a message.

Two striking images have been chosen to commemorate 40 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori.

Today, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, Maori Language Commission has chosen to perpetuate this message by using this iconic image again, one of two that will commemorate 40 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori. Together, the two images tell a story of the journey of Maori language revitalisation - a struggle, a protest, a reclamation, and now, a challenge.

This year's launch of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori was held on Monday at Waiwhetu Marae in Lower Hutt. Waiwhetu Marae is a place of special significance - hosting, in May 1972, the late Hana Te Hemara Jackson, Sid Jackson and Nga Tamatoa at the Huinga Rangatahi (the Federation of Maori Tertiary Students) to plan the presentation of the Maori language education petition in September that year.

Ngai Tuhoe, through Tame Iti, was present. He was one of very few young people capable of speaking Maori. It is important to acknowledge the significant role that Maori university student associations have played in the efforts and struggle to gain support for Maori language.

Maori Language Week, Te Ra o te Reo Maori, owes its existence to then Huinga Rangatahi president (National Maori Students Federation), Joe Te Rito, and Rangi Nicholson, who proposed and launched the day regionally in Wellington on September 14, 1971.

Momentum for a national language day was gained when plans were made to present the Maori language petition to Parliament with over 30,000 signatures. This incredible outpouring of sentiment was facilitated by Nga Tamatoa (Auckland and Victoria University students' association) and the Te Reo Maori Society in a time without email and Facebook, when each signature was elicited personally and painstakingly written by hand.

In July 1975 the Te Reo Maori Society at Auckland University moved Maori Language Day to Te Wa o Te Reo Maori/ Maori Language Week so that it coincided with the primary and secondary schools' break. The hope was that if the Ministry of Education thought the event successful it would, with significantly more budget, sponsor and champion the event. As a key sponsor of this year's Te Wiki o te Reo Maori the ministry has honoured that aspiration.

The culmination of 40 years' effort has not only kept our language alive, but yielded phenomenal success. Even a surface glance at the diverse Maori language initiatives throughout the country leaves us in no doubt as to the remarkable gains made - Whakatipuranga Rua Mano, Ruatoki Kura, Te Ahurei o Ngai Tuhoe, Pa Whakangahau, Te Ataarangi, kohanga reo, kura, wharekura, wananga, reo irirangi Maori, reo irirangi a-iwi, whakaata Maori and Nga Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo Maori - the list goes on.

We have chosen two images to commemorate 40 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Maori. Contrasting with the image of Dame Whina Cooper and her mokopuna, the second image features a new board commissioner, Hinurewa Poutu. Hinurewa, a scholar and accomplished young Maori leader, balances her life with duties as a pouako, educationalist and teacher, of primary and secondary-aged students at the school that nurtured her with te reo Maori.

The image depicts Hinurewa together with her students at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Mana Tamariki, walking boldly toward the camera, living testimony to the success yielded from the past 40 years and the first few steps taken by Whina and her grandchild.

With language speaker rates decreasing during the last 10 years, the challenges, the tough challenges of the past 40 years still exist. They might even be a little bit tougher, because the successes we have had can, at times, cause us to become too encouraged, too content, or in the worst case scenario, even complacent.

We should celebrate our successes but we also need to be vigilant, and tighten the grip. Hold hands, and like Hinurewa and Mana Tamariki, ensure we are taking our language into the 21st century. Kia toitu te whenua, toitu te reo, toitu te mana Maori!

Te reo Māori translation

E 40 tau ki mua, i te Paengawhāwhā o te tau 1975, e whakaritea ana tētahi hīkoi tautohe rongonui, mai i Ngāpuhi ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, kia ōrua atu ai ki te 14 o Mahuru 1975.

Koia nei te rā i whakamana tuatahitia ai Te Rā o te Wiki, he rangi whakaora ngākau, nō muri mai ka tipu ake i a ia ko Te Wiki o te Reo Māori e mōhio nei tātou. E waitohu ana ēnei āhuatanga me te hīkoi o te tau 1975 i te huringa o te Hītori o Aotearoa, ko tāna anō he whakaoho i te iwi ki te tautiaki i ngā reanga o Aotearoa e piki ake ana; ōna whenua; tōna reo; tōna tuakiritanga.

'O ngā momo whakapuakanga katoa, mā te whakaahua anahe e hopukia ai tētahi kimonga karu o te wā (Henri Cartier-Bresson), ka mutu e kitea ana te pono o tēnei kōrero a Cartier-Bresson i te whakaahua a Michael Tubberty mō tēnei nūpepa, o te kuia rongonui, o Dame Whina Cooper, e pupuri ana i te ringa o tana mokopuna, o Irenee, i a rāua ka whakatika i tō rāua ara kōhatu. Ko te puehu, ko te kōhatu, ko te 1000 kiromita kei waenga i a rāua me te wāhi e ahu atu nei rāua, me te aha, riro tonu atu te whatu o te karu, te aroha o te ngākau me te wawata o te whatumanawa i te whakaahua nei.

Kapohia ana e te āhua te ngākau tangata, ā, mai i taua wā, kua noho te whakaahua o te kuia rāua ko tana mokopuna nei, hei tohu i ngā takahanga tuatahi i takahia e te iwi nui tonu ki te whakatika i te hē, i te hara, otirā kia pakeke ake ngā whakaaro. E 25 ngā marae i manaaki i Te Rōpū Matakite - mai i Te Hāpua ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, i a rātou e kawe ana i tā rātou kupu i te huarahi.

I tēnei rangi, kua āta whai Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori kia kōkiri tonuhia tēnei kupu, nā konei i tīkina atu anō ai te whakaahua rongonui nei. Koia nei tētahi o ētahi whakaahua e rua kua kōwhiri hei whakanui i te tau 40 o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Mā ngā whakaahua e rua e kōrero te ara whakarauora i te reo Māori kua takahia - te hekenga werawera, te tautotohe, te whai kia whakahokia mai te taonga tuku iho, ināianei kua noho te take nei hei whakatara i a tātou.

Te pūtakenga mai o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Ko te whakaterenga o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori o tēnei tau, i tū i te Rāhina ki te Marae o Waiwhetū i Awakairangi. He mea āta whakatau tonu e Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori kia tū te rā whakanui i te tau 40 me te whakaterenga, ki Waiwhetū, 'kia whakahokia ai te kaupapa o te reo ki tōna tīmatanga.' He wāhi nui whakahirahira te Marae o Waiwhetū ki te iwi Māori, otirā ki Aotearoa me ōna hītori. I konei hoki e manaakitia ana a Hana te Hemara Jackson, a Sid Jackson me Ngā Tamatoa i te Huinga Rangatahi, i reira e wānangahia ana me pēhea te tāpae i te petihana mō Te Reo Māori i te Ao Mātauranga. I tae ake a Tame Iti hei kanohi mō Ngāi Tūhoe ki taua hui. Ko Tame tētahi o te hunga tokoiti i mōhio ki te kōrero Māori.

I whānau mai te whakaaro mō Te Rā o te Wiki i te perehitini o te Huinga Rangatahi o taua wā, i a Tākuta Joe Te Rito, rāua ko Rangi Nicholson, ka whakaterea te kaupapa i te rohe o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, i te 14 o Mahuru 1971. Ka tipu te hiahia kia tohua te rā hei rā mō te motu, i te aranga ake o te whakaaro kia tāpaea he petihana reo Māori ki Pāremata. Neke atu i te 30,000 te hunga i waitohu i te petihana. Ko te rā i whakaritea hei kawe atu i te whakaaro, ko te 14 o Mahuru 1973. Nā Ngā Tamatoa me Te Reo Māori Society i kōkiri te kaupapa i te wā kāore he īmēra, he Pukamata, me āta whaiwhai rawa te tangata kia waitohua tōna ingoa ki tōna ringa tonu.

I te Hōngongoi 1975, ka nekehia e Te Reo Māori Society (Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmakimakaurau) Te Rā o te Reo Māori ki Te Wā o Te Reo Māori, kia ōrua atu ai ki ngā hararei o ngā kura tuatahi me ngā kura tuarua. Ko te wawata ia, kia kite iho te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga i ngā painga o te whakaaro, kua tahuri ake ki te tautoko ā- pūtea, ki te kōkiri hoki i te kaupapa ā muri iho. Ā kāti, ko te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga tētahi o ngā kaitautoko matua o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori i tēnei tau - kua whakatinanahia e ia te wawata o taua wā.

Kāore e whāiti mai ngā hua o ngā kaha kua pau i ngā tau 40 ka taha nei, ki te noho ora o tō tātou reo anahe. E kāo, arā noa atu ngā painga kua puta. Ki te karapa noa ake te karu ki te maha o ngā momo kaupapa mō te reo Māori kua puta i te motu, me pēhea tātou e kore ai e whakapono ki te nui o ngā painga kua puta - ko Whakatipuranga Rua Mano tēnā, ko te Kura o Rūātoki, ko Te Ahurei o Ngāi Tūhoe, ko Pā Whakangahau, ko Te Ataarangi, ko ngā kōhanga reo, ngā kura, ngā wharekura, ngā wānanga, ngā reo irirangi Māori, ngā reo irirangi ā-iwi, a Whakaata Māori, a Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo Māori ... a wai ake, a wai ake.

E rua ngā whakaahua kua kōwhiria e mātou hei whakanui i te 40 tau o Te Wiki o te Reo. Ko te whakaahua e tino rerekē ana i te whakaahua rongonui o Dame Whina Cooper rāua ko tana mokopuna, ko tētahi e whakaahua ana i tētahi o ngā Kaiwhiri hou, a Hinurewa Poutu. Kua tino eke a Hinurewa ki ngā taumata o te ao mātauranga, ka nui ngā pūmanawa o tēnei kaiārahi Māori o te ao hou. E whāngai ana ia i ngā tauira o te kura tuatahi me te kura tuarua ki te mātauranga, arā, i te kura nāna anō i whāngai i a ia ki ēnei mea. Kua whakaahuatia a Hinurewa me ana tauira i Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Mana Tamariki, e anganui ana rātou ki te kāmera, he kāhui kanohi ora e tohu ana i ngā hua kua puta i ngā tau 40 ka taha, otirā i ngā takahanga tuatahi i takahia e Whina rāua ko tana mokopuna.

I te mea kāore e pūmau ana te tokomaha o te hunga kōrero Māori, kāore rānei i piki ake i ngā tau tekau ka hipa, he tohu tēnei kei mua tonu i a tātou ngā wero, ngā wero tino nui o ngā tau 40 ka taha. Tērā anō pea kua uaua kē atu, i te mea kua kawea tātou e ngā painga kua puta, kua tau te wairua i tērā, kua pōhēhē hoki e pai ana ngā mea katoa. Ehara, e tika ana kia whakanuia ngā hua kua puta. Engari me noho mataara tonu tātou, kia mau tonu te ringa ki te mānuka mō te reo i kawea ake e 40 tau ki mua. Me haere kōtui te katoa, me whai i te tauira a Hinurewa me te kura o Mana Tamariki, ka mātua whai kia kawea ake tō tātou reo ki te rau tau 21. Kia toitū te whenua, toitū te reo, toitū te mana Māori!

Tuehu Harris is acting chief executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission.