Students step up to become the next generation of 'language warriors'

Monday, 5 July 2021

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa staff at the pōwhiri included Sally Rye, Charmaine Price, Cyndi Kohunui, Kiingi Hepi, Pihitahi Russell, Amiria O’Malley and Cheryl Eriepa.

A new te reo Māori course aimed at growing more “language warriors” was appropriately launched at the start of the Māori New Year.

Matariki is traditionally a time that marks the changing of the seasons, a time to think about new beginnings and to set new goals.

Those were some of the thoughts shared among the teachers and their 44 students who were the first intake of the new two-year master’s degree for the most advanced Māori language learners in the country.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa cultural adviser Parāone Gloyne was among the speakers to welcome the new students.

They gathered for the launch of Te Tohu Paerua o Te Reo Kairangi (Master’s Degree of Māori Language Excellence) at the Hamilton campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa on July 2.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Aukaha (performance and quality assurance) manager Sharon Toi watching on as the new students arrive.

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Te Wānanga o Aotearoa executive director development Ben Ngaia said the master’s course will produce a new pool of te reo speakers at the highest level.

The Level 9 New Zealand Qualifications Authority-accredited programme consists of 20 noho marae, learning modules on the marae, over two years.

Lindsay Snowden is an educational designer for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. He is a graduate of the Panekiretanga o Te Reo programme and was among the speakers at the launch of the master’s course.

It was designed for people already highly competent and matatau, or fluent in the reo, but it had a significant focus on grammar and linguistics at an exemplary level.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa executive director development Ben Ngaia said the programme filled without any promotion.

In fact, it was oversubscribed and interviews were held with written and oral tests to select the final group.

Ngaia said it showed there was great demand for te reo courses as more people wanted to continue learning to the highest level.

“But in terms of revitalisation of te reo, we’re still on that journey, there are still risks for its ongoing survival.

“Nationally, we now have a really good pool of te reo Māori speakers but at that very highest level, we only have a few to call upon.

“The purpose of this course is to grow that pool.”

Ngaia said he considered the course’s three tutors, Pānia Papa, Leon Blake and Tā Tīmoti Kāretu, among the few who could teach at that higher language level.

“We are striving for Māori language excellence, so we’re attracting mumu reo, those who are language warriors and champions from within their respective communities,” said Papa.

The master’s course would fill the gap left by the exclusive Māori language academy Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo, which closed in 2019.

“Panekiretanga o Te Reo, which Pānia, Leon, Tā Tīmoti and others were involved in, had a strong focus on tikanga and revitalisation of the paepae,” Ngaia said.

“We feel those aspects of our culture are best left for marae to continue to work on and the graduates of that programme are continuing to support the aspirations of that kaupapa.”

Ngaia said the master’s course would produce language revitalisation experts who could teach their own whānau, hapū, iwi, marae and communities.

Other career options were likely too, Ngaia said, as demand for te reo Māori among employers continued to grow.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa accepted people of all ethnicities and Ngaia there was an interesting blend of people now learning te reo Māori.

“We are on a journey in terms of building nationhood through te reo and tikanga, to make it natural and normal, to show what it means to live here in Aotearoa.”