To celebrate Māori Language Week, Te Karere’s presenter Scotty Morrison penned an opinion piece on raising kids in te reo Māori, and with that in mind, we’ve decided to share it as is without English translation.
Tēnā tātou i te Wiki o te Reo Māori, 2018!
I te whānautanga mai o tā māua mātāmua, o Hawaiki James i te tau 2006, ka taka te kapa: me tīmata māua ki te ako i ngā kupu e hāngai pū ana ki te ao o te tamaiti.
I mua i tana whānautanga mai, kāore he take o te mōhio atu o māua ko taku hoa rangatira ki ngā kupu pērā i te ‘kope’, i te ‘pūngote’, i te ‘pouraka’, i te ‘tīemiemi’, i te ‘tārere’, i te ‘tāheke’, i te ‘pare hūhare’, i mea kupu, i mea kupu mō te ao o te tamaiti – he ao tamariki kore hoki ō māua ao i taua wā!
Whānau mai ana a Hawaiki James, auē! He reo kē anō hei ako kia pai ai te whakatipu i a ia ki te reo Māori anake.
Kāore au i te whakamā ki te kī atu, he uaua te whakatipu tamaiti ki te reo, ko te mana me ngā āinga o te reo Pākehā tētahi tāmitanga, engari ina kaha te pāpara, te kōkara rānei ki te nanao atu ki tērā ahurea, he tini ngā hua ka puta.
Ko tētahi anō uauatanga, ko te kimi kupu e pai ai te kawe tonu i te reo ki ngā horopaki whānui o te ao o te tamaiti.
He mea nui te kimi kupu kia hohonu ai te puna kupu hei toro atu mā te tamaiti e whakaariari mai ai ia i ōna whakaaro mō tōna ao mē ōna horopaki huhua katoa o roto, ki te reo Māori.
Ki te kore e hihiri, e kakama ki te kimi kupu, māku e kī atu, he wā tōna ka huri te tamaiti ki te reo Pākehā, nā te mea kāore e tutuki ana, kāore e ea ana i te reo Māori ōna manako whakaaro, ōna manako kōrero.
Hei tauira māku, ko te rerenga; kua whara taku waewae .
E pai ana pea tērā hei tīmatanga kōrero mā te nohinohi, mā te kōhungahunga, engari ki te pīrangi te tamaiti pakeke ake ki te kī, I have grazed my knee , ki te reo Māori, āe rānei ka māoriori tōna ngākau, ka mākona ōna piropiro i te kī noa ake, kua whara taku waewae ?
I roto i ōku tau maha e ako ana i te reo, e whakaako ana i te reo, otirā, e napinapi tamariki ana ki te reo, he wā tōna ka pīrangi te tamaiti kia āmiki ake, kia taipitopito ake āna kōrero i te kī noa, kua whara taku waewae .
Mēnā kāore ia i āta whāngaihia ki te kupu mō te graze = hārau me te kupu mō te kneecap = popoki, ka pēnei tana kōrero, kua grazed au i taku knee , ka whakahua rānei ia i te katoa o taua rerenga ki te reo Pākehā!
Kua whai hua nui hoki māua i te putanga mai o ngā pukapuka hōu o te wā, pēnei i a Mai i te Kākano , nā Hēni Jacob i tuhi.
Ko te mea pai o tēnei pukapuka āna, kei reira ngā tohutohu mō te āta whakatika i ngā hapa e rite tonu nei te rāngona i te reo o te tamaiti, pēnei i te “he aha mā koe” me te “oma tere”.
Ko au e kī ana, he wāhanga ēnei hapa nei nō te whanaketanga o te reo o te tamaiti, inā koa mā te hapa ko te tika, nā reira ko tā māua rautaki hei whakatika i ngā hapa reo o ā māua tamariki, ko te whakatauira i te tika i roto i te māhakitanga, arā, tino kore rawa atu nei e kī atu, “kei te hē!”
* Te Karere, TVNZ's Māori language news programme, is on TVNZ1 weekdays at 4pm.
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