I kōrero tahi ai te ētita o Nukutawhiti ki a Matua Beau Stowers (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Awa) mō ōna wheako i te whai me te whakaako i te reo Māori. He pūkenga a Matua Beau nō roto i Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, he hua nō Te Panekiretanga o te reo Māori, ā, he rangatira mō tōna reanga.
Nukutawhiti: Ko wai ngā tino tāngata i whakaaweawe i a koe ki te ako i Te Reo Māori?
Matua Beau: Ehara i te mea i āta ako au i te reo Māori, me kī, i tupu mai ahau i te reo, i te kōhanga reo me te kura Māori. Ka mutu, ko taku kuia tonu taku whakahihiri. Nāna ahau i whāngai i taku ohinga, ā, wahaina ai ahau ki ngā hui mate me ngā hui ora, hei hoa haere mōna. Ka nui hoki ngā mea i kite ai ahau, i rongo ai ahau, me te aha, nā ēnā pūmaharatanga e ngākau whakapuke nei au ki te whai i te ahurei o te reo, me ōna kura nui, ōna kura roa, ōna kura kōrero, ōna kura wānanga, ōna kura huna, pau te kaha!
Nukutawhiti: I puta tō ihu i Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, he aha ngā tino akoranga i puta i tērā wheako?
Matua Beau: Ahakoa pēhea te tiketike o te kupu, te hōhonu o te kupu, kāhore kē e kapi i a au ngā tino akoranga o tēnei wānanga, makuru ana, ngahoro ana, kīhai i ārikarika! Heoi anō tā te whare makatea o Te Panekiretanga o te Reo, he whakatītina i te hunga e autaia nei te reo, kia pakari kē atu ō rātou nā reo, me kore e kākā wahanui anō ai ngā taumata kōrero, e manu tīoriori anō ai ngā reo karanga i ō tātou marae o te motu.
Nukutawhiti: Nōnāhea koe i mōhio ai ko te whakaako i te reo Māori te ara pai mōu? He aha koe e whai nei i ngā mahi whakaako i te reo?
Matua Beau: I tīmata ahau, he kaiāwhina i ētahi kura pō hei mahi moni noa iho māku i a au e whai ana i taku tohu paetahi, ka mutu, ko te kaipūtaiao kē taku hiahia i taua wā rā. Ka rere te wā, ka tīmata te tupu o te ngākaunui ki te whakaako i te reo, ka rere anō te wā ka tīmata te tupu o te haepapa ki te whakaako i te reo. Ki te hoki au ki taku kuia, nāna te kōrero mai ki a au, “ko koe hei kura māhita i te reo!” me taku kawa, whakapono kore ki tēnā kōrero! Nō reira, nā te wairua pea i tohu.
Nukutawhiti: He aha ngā tohu o te tino kaikōrero, ā, ko wai pea ētahi o ngā tino kaikōrero reo Māori?
Matua Beau: Mehemea e kōrero whaikōrero ana, kei kī ake au, he tohu tēnei, he tohu tēnā o tētahi tino kaikōrero. He pūkenga anō tō tēnā, he pūkenga anō tō tēnā. Ko ētahi he mōhio ki te whakarāwai i te kupu, ko ētahi he pakari ki te piu i te rākau, ki te whakatamarahi i te huanui, ki te putē i ngā kanohi, ko ētahi he tau ki te kōtuitui i ngā kōrero, ko ētahi he toki ki te whakatara, ko ētahi he hūmārie kau te tū. Me uaua ka kite i ēnā pūkenga katoa i te tangata kotahi. Mutu kau iho, ko te whaikōrero he kōrero rangatira ki te rangatira, nō reira me rangatira te kōrero, he tohu rangatira tērā.
Nukutawhiti: He aha ētahi o ngā tino uauatanga i roto i ō mahi whakaako?
Matua Beau: Hāunga te whakaako i ngā āhuatanga o te reo, ki a au nei, ko tā te kaiwhakaako he whakahihiko i te manawa toka, he whakamauru i te manawa popore, he whakakōrero i te manawarū, i ētahi wā hoki, he whakapāpaku i te manawa whakaī. Ka mutu, kua kite rā au, ki te kore ēnā āhuatanga e tika i te kaiako, kāhore rā te ākonga e tomo mai ki tō whare, kia kitea mai ai ngā mea ātaahua katoa o te reo. Tū kē atu ai rātou i waho i te kōpeke, arokore mai ai.
Nukutawhiti: He Māori ake koe mehemea he kōrero Māori koe?
Matua Beau: Kāhore, heoi anō e whakapono ana ahau, he tata atu, he mātau atu te tangata kōrero Māori ki te ao Māori me tōna tūturutanga. Ko ngā rangiwhāwhātanga o te ao Māori, e kore e āta taea e te reo Pākehā, e tētahi atu reo rānei. Ānō he kī te reo e tuwhera ai te tatau ki te ao Māori, e kuhu ai koe, me tika te kī, arā, me reo Māori. Ki te kore, e kore e kitea ngā mea ātaahua kei tuaiti atu i te tatau. Ka aroha kē!
Nukutawhiti: He kupu akiaki, he kupu āwhina ōu mō te hunga e whai ana i tā rātou ara reo Māori?
Matua Beau: Me ngata-kore! Arā, me hiakai tonu, me hiakai tonu, me hiakai tonu! Me hiakai tonu kia whānui kē atu ai te reo, me whakamomori kia pakari kē atu ai te reo, kei noho ka kiriora, engari me kiri whakauka kē.
He Mea Kiri Whakauka ki te reo Māori
