Aurelia Arona, Kaitakawaenga

Kia ora Aurelia. Can you tell us about your role at the library?

I have been employed in the role of Kaitakawaenga. Takawaenga literally means go-between or mediator. A lot of my work this year will be focusing on liaising with various Māori and Community groups in the Christchurch Community with a view to create links and build relationships between the community and Christchurch City Libraries.

Have you always been fluent in te reo or did you learn later in life?

Māori is not my first language, although I think that may be quite common for people in my age group. I was primary school age when I started learning and have continued to do so since then - it’s a lifelong journey I think, there will always be more to learn.

Is teaching te reo a large part of your role?

Technically, it is not part of my role, although this year for Māori Language Week, at Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi (Christchurch City Libraries) we thought we would offer short introductory sessions in speaking Te Reo Māori at various libraries to interested members of the public and library staff as our way of celebrating Māori Language Week. The libraries usually run a great programme to support Māori Language Week and have been awarded with national awards in the past in recognition of the calibre of the activities or events. This year there is going to be quite a diverse range of activities taking place around the library network, so anyone who is interested should check out our events.

The intention for the language sessions this year is to offer an opportunity for complete beginners to come and have a go at speaking Māori. The sessions are one-offs of up to 90 minutes. They will be basic in content and ideal for anyone who has had no previous experience, or for those who have some experience but want an opportunity to practice in a group setting. We will be looking at the importance of correct pronunciation, basic greetings, introductory phrases, conversational questions and farewells.

Really it is our way of celebrating the Te Reo Māori which ideally would happen on an everyday basis. We hope during Māori Language Week to encourage the use of Te Reo. It is an official language of this country, but often it is still not heard in the context of everyday life, in the public domain.

If people are interested they can contact their local library and ask the staff there to assist them to make a booking to attend one of the language lessons. There will also be poi making workshops, bilingual story times, demonstrations of ngā toi whakairo and raranga workshops. These are being held at various libraries around the network throughout Māori Language Week - all sessions are free but some events require booking so make sure you get in fast.

What are some of the best resources for learners of te reo?

The best resource for any language learner is to be around other people who speak the language. The more immersed in a language you can be, the more you learn as your ability to understand others and express yourself increases. If you have a family goal that you would all like to learn te reo then I would suggest contacting your local Kohanga Reo and/or Kura kaupapa Māori. Get involved in your local community, attend hui, go to places where you know you will have an opportunity to speak with others in Te Reo.

If people are looking for courses I would suggest a good starting place could be accessing the CINCH database. If you type in Te Reo Māori it will bring up a list of all the local organisations who are providing services relating to Māori language. Other formal education providers such as CPIT, high schools and universities also offer courses.

In terms of other resources, Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi holds a good collection of language learning resources that can be readily accessed by the public. Moata Tamaira, te kopuka kaituara (reference librarian, Māori) has compiled an excellent resource list, that covers not just books and magazines but also on-line learning and television resources that may be of help.

Is the grammar difficult, or is vocabulary more important?

It is not so much that it is difficult just different. Like any language there is set grammar, if one keeps that in mind as you are learning rather than expecting things to translate straight through it makes it a lot easier. Grammatical structures are different, te reo uses a lot of passive sentence structures rather than active ones.

Vocabulary is important as well- if you don’t have the words to express what you are trying to say then you are not going to be able to communicate effectively with anybody else. I think that another fundamental concept to keep in mind when learning a language, is that the language of different societies will be reflective of how they view the world and the cultural values and norms that are important to that particular cultural group.

I think if you are serious about wanting to learn Māori, you need to be open minded and prepared to embrace not just the language but the Māori world view.

What are some of the advantages of speaking te reo?

Speaking for myself - it’s mine - it’s part of my heritage and it is an important aspect of my self-identity. I am Māori - this is me. In terms of a national perspective I think the Māori language should be celebrated more-it is part of what gives Māori and indeed all New Zealanders a unique cultural identity in terms of how the rest of the world views us.

More New Zealanders should learn how to speak it - to celebrate and validate this aspect of our shared heritage. The All Blacks tradition of doing haka before a game is a good example of how some aspects of Māori culture and language have been co-opted on to the national and international stage and gained global prominence - it seems that it engenders in Kiwi’s a sense of pride and belonging as well as a commonality of belonging or identity. It would be great if the passion that is evident in the sporting arena for things Māori flowed over to encompass more of our daily lives.

In terms of children, Studies have shown that being bilingual is beneficial for cognitive development and facilitates ease of acquisition of other languages. I find it hard to come up with any thoughts of how being proficient in two languages could be a bad skill to have.

Is there a standard base of the language to learn that crosses geographical boundaries?

The language is standardised to a degree, however just as Māori society was not originally homogenous neither was the language - so there is dialectal variance across the country.

I am not an expert but I think that the most common differences would be vocabulary differences or differing pronunciation sounds. For instance in some places in the South Island you will her the k pronounced in place of the NG e.g. tangata- takata, some Taranaki iwi do not pronounce the ‘h’ e.g. Whanganui is said like Wanganui and speakers from Tuhoe often pronounce the NG sound only as a N- tangata becomes tanata, even though it is still written the same way.

What advice would you give to people starting out on their language learning journey?

Enjoy yourself, if it is not enjoyable you won’t be stimulated to learn and to stick with it. Don’t worry too much about making mistakes - it’s expected when you’re new to something and making mistakes is often a good way to learn. Focus on correct pronunciation to begin with. If you can get that right early on it makes it a lot easier. Oh and practice, practice every chance you get.