Recently I’ve had conversations inside and outside of the Library about the discomfort Pākehā may feel speaking Te Reo Māori, the fear of making mistakes (eg with pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary) and potentially causing offence. This sentiment came up recently in our staff fora where we considered some of the comments Māori students had shared regarding their experience of interacting with Library services.

A few years ago, I remember listening to some of our SMT members speaking at a staff forum and beginning their kōrero using Te Reo Māori. In one particular case, I recall it being not good. I personally winced for them as they awkwardly bumbled their way through their introduction in Māori, butchering the pronunciation of Māori kupu along the way. (I don’t claim to be an expert in Te Reo pronunciation by any stretch but it sounded off).  However I still respected them for giving it a go.

A year or two down the track, I heard the same SMT member begin their kōrero in Te Reo Māori. It wasn’t perfect, but way better. There was more confidence, they’d clearly gone away, maybe received a bit of feedback, taken that on board, and done some homework. Good on them.

As I’ve personally reflected on what I can do to be a better Tangata Tiriti (Treaty partner), one thing (not the only thing) that speaks to me is valuing Te Reo Māori.

Understanding, valuing and learning Te Reo Māori will have a different look and feel for each of us.  One place to start might be practising pronunciation of kupu frequently used UC. Some examples could be Te Waka Pākākano, Matariki, Puaka James Hight, Te Pātaka, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Ngāi Tūāhuriri.  There are a number resources on the UC website such as this one about the stories behind the names of buildings on campus with video clips on how to pronounce the names.

In Access and Collections, a small group of us are together doing the Tōku Reo interactive exercises each week. Tōku Reo is a self-paced language course that has been created by Professor John Moorfield and includes kaumātua, rangatahi and native speakers in the context of a beginners learning programme.  We spend half an hour a week doing this in work time.

I conclude with a quote from Professor Moorfield that I’ve found really helpful and encouraging to keep giving Te Reo Māori a go.

Good language learners are people who overcome their inhibition to speak. They are not overly concerned with making mistakes, but they do learn from their errors. Good language learners not only practice new language, but also seek out opportunities to use Māori. Good language learners identify problems they might be having learning a new language, and seek solutions to those problems. Good Māori language learners analyse the language and make inferences about it. They guess by using clues. They are aware of language as a means of conveying and receiving messages. And as a means of behaving in a culturally appropriate manner.

Are you a good language learner?

Kia Kaha!

Tim Stedman