Nā nā Shay McEwan | Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Te Whanau a Kai, Ngāti Pāhauwera
Ko te whakaako reo, ehara mō te kupu noa - engari ko tāna mahi he tuiui i tētahi hononga hōhonu ake ki te ahurea, ki te tuakiri, ki te anamata anō hoki. Ki a māua ko Tom, ko te reo Māori taua reo. I tīmataria hei pākiki noa, heoi kua titikaha te ngākau kia matatau te arero, e āngia ana e te hiahia ki te kōrero otirā e te moemoeā kia tukuna iho tēnei kurupounamu ki ā māua tamariki ā tōna wā.
He tāne Pākehā tōku hoa, a Tom, e mahi ana ia ki Whakamaru ā-ipurangi, ā, he wahine Māori au e ako ana i te Mātauranga me te Hītori. Kāore māua i tino mārama, i tino mōhio rānei ki te reo Māori nō māua e pakeke mai ana. Mōna, nā ōna rā i Ashhurst, i pērā ai—he tino Pākehā te āhua o te wāhi rā. Engari, mōku nei, he tipu ake nā tōku whānau i te wā kāhore i whakaaengia te kōrero Māori, koia rātou i kore ai e tuku iho i te reo, e whakamātau rānei ki te ako i muri iho. I tīmata tō māua haerenga reo Māori me te hiahia kia tata ake au ki taku ahurea, ā, kia tautoko tōku hoa i a au me tōku haerenga. I tīmata māua ki ngā mihi māmā me ngā kīwaha—he paku “Kia ora!” me te “Kei te pēhea koe?” E hīkaka ana a Tom ki te ako, ki te hopu anō hoki i ngā kupu hou, nā tōna ngākaunui ki te reo i tahuna ai tōku ake.
Ka hōhonu ake tā māua ruku, ka kitea ngā taonga ahurea i roto i te reo. Mai i ngā tohu i roto i ngā whakataukī ki ngā tikanga rētō i tuituia i roto i te pepeha, kua kore te akoranga i tū noaiho hei ngohe wetereo, engari kē, i huri hei tūhuratanga o te tuakiri, o te noho huānga hoki. Nā tōna kanohi hōmiromiro i tere mau i a Tom ngā āhuatanga whāiti o te reo, me tana mōhio, ehara noa te reo i te reo kōrero, engari he kauwaka kē hei kawe i te mātauranga me ngā tikanga a tēnā reanga, a tēnā reanga.
I ekengia tēnei haerenga me ōna taupā. E whīwhiwhi ana te arero i te whakahua, E kanikani ana te wetereo ki tōna ake manawataki, me te moana pīpipi o ngā kupu—katoa ēnei i tū hei wero kia whakamātauria tō māua manawanui. Kua mātātoa tā māua ako tahi, he haerenga tūhura—nāna i kaha ai tō māua hononga, nāna i hōhonu ake ai tō māua takohanga ki a māua anō, otirā ki tō māua anamata.
Ki te titiro whakamua, ka tukuna iho tō māua aroha me tō māua manawanui ki te reo Māori, ki ā māua tamariki. E moemoeā ana māua mō te rā, ka pānui māua ki a rātou i ngā pūrākau Māori, ka waiata i ngā waiata e pāoro ana i te wairua o te whenua, ā, ka tuku iho i ngā tikanga Māori. Ehara mō māua anake tēnei haerenga reo—engari mō te whakamana i te whakareretanga e honohono ana i ngā reanga o mua, o nāianei, o āpōpō anō hoki koia kē te take.
Kua whānui ake tāku whakaako i te reo ki a Tom, tēnā i te wetereo noa; kua whakaaturia te mana o te aroha, te pākiki, te aroha ki te ahurea anō hoki. Kei te tautokona tētahi reo e whakatinana ana i te manawaroa, i te tautetanga, i te tauutuutu anō hoki, tētahi reo e whakangako ai i a tātou me ō tātou hononga o tētahi ki tētahi, otirā ki tō tātou hapori.
I te mutunga iho, ko tō tātou haerenga ki te matataunga o te reo Māori, ko tētahi haerenga i runga i te wawata —mā te manawanui ki te kaupapa, ka whānau mai he whānau kōrero Māori, he whānau e mārama ana, e matatau ana ki te reo, ā tōna wā. Ko ia kupu hou ka ākona, ka whāia ko te pae tawhiti kia tata, kia tata ake ki te whakatinanatanga o te whakatipu tamariki e matatau ana ki te reo Māori, otirā e kawe ana i ngā uara me ngā tikanga e mana tonu ai tēnei taonga ā tātou, ko te reo.
Ka haere kōtui tātou i a tātou e eke tonu ana i tēnei waka reo—e ārahia ana e te aroha, e whakaohoohohia ana e te ahurea, ka mutu e tū kotahi ana i tō tātou manawanui ki te reo Māori.
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