Opinion: Take up Rotorua's bilingual challenge

Bilingual Rotorua launch at Rotorua Lakes Council. Photo/File

I recently attended the hui launching the start of the bilingual journey for Rotorua.

Na reira, nga mihi nui ake nei ki a tatou katoa i raro i te korowai o te Kaupapa nei, ara ko te reo Maori.

Na te putunga o te reo Maori e tatou, ka puta mai hoki nga taonga Maori i waenganui i a tatou katoa. Kia kaha kiamaiakiamanawanui tatou. Me U Maori ma.

Can I encourage us all to take up this bilingual journey challenge.

The appearance of the Maori language among us will strengthen our city values such as manaakitanga which are at the core of the Maori language.

At the bilingual launch hui Te Ururoa Flavell outlined the production of a brooch which people could choose to wear.

The brooch, similar in purpose to the ones some Air New Zealand staff wear, is a sign that the wearer has some competency in te reo Maori and invites others to converse with them in te reo Maori.

The whakaaro (thought) behind this being the encouragement to speak more Maori to each other because similar to other languages if you don't use them, you lose them.

There were other reasons for the brooches including enhancing the reputation of Rotorua as a tourism hub and it was found that the presence of more Maori language in various forms in our city would enhance the strong Rotorua Maori cultural brand which has hosted tourists for generations.

Seeing the brooch reminded me of when I visited Cornwall many years ago as part of an academic and cultural exchange between Waiariki Institute of Technology, now known as Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and Cornwall College.

I was the head of Te Pakaroa Ihenga, the school of Maori studies, journalism, fashion, arts and design at the time so I had a particular interest in these areas.

Our visit was to Cornwall College which had several campuses scattered throughout Cornwall and we were led by Gary Dender, my boss at the time.

Senior Cornwall College staff later returned the visit to our shores.

While we were in Cornwall I visited a professor of languages and he asked me what I wanted to achieve in my meeting with him.

I told him I had a list and replied that firstly I would like to hear some Cornish language spoken, at which he launched into a whole story in his indigenous language and concluded by saying to me in English, "Well that is the first one done, what is next on your list?"

We both laughed and that started an excellent conversation for the next hour or so.

Towards the end I noticed that he was wearing a green frog brooch so I asked him what it stood for.

He outlined that there were only around 300 people in all of Cornwall who spoke their native Cornish language.

Those 300 people wore the frog brooch to identify who they were and invite others to speak Cornish with them.

He also said that if those 300 did not use their language, they would surely lose it.

We are far away from only 300 people speaking the Maori language in Rotorua.

We have many kohanga reo or language nests and kura kaupapa Maori in Rotorua similar to those my children attended, to nourish te reo Maori.

However, I think the real key to keeping a language alive is just giving it a go.

Even if it is a kia ora (gidday or thank you) or a ma tewa (see you later) as used by Air New Zealand staff.

There is an old saying that when in Rome do as the Romans do.

Hopefully we can say to tourists when in Rotorua do as the Rotorua people do - speak Maori - give it a go - even if it is just a kia ora sis or kia ora bro.

Ngahihi o te ra is from Te Arawa and is an international leadership speaker, author and consultant. His book is available at McLeods book store and the Lakeside cafe in Rotorua. His website can be viewed at www.ngahibidois.com