An adage of old times in New Zealand but not anymore, because this is Aotearoa. In Aotearoa we speak Māori, we practice tikanga Māori, we embrace te ahurea Māori, we use mātauranga Māori. In Aotearoa we also face racist backlash from people who wish to return to old times when Māori were punished for speaking our mother tongue. Because our punishment and pain is their pleasure and amusement.
We owe a lot to that day. That day that changed the course of our history. That day, in the company of te ao Māori heroes and she-roes, when Hana Te Hēmara presented a 33,000 signature strong petition on the steps of parliament calling for te reo Māori to be taught in our own schools, on our own whenua. That day was the 14th of September, 1972.
Tā Himi Hēnare once said “ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori”. The Māori language is the life force of the Māori people. 50 years on from that day the life force of our people is stronger than ever and we have te reo Māori to thank for that. Te reo Māori has and continues to raise reo Māori speakers who navigate industries like law, entertainment, business, education, health, the sciences, and politics. Those reo Māori speakers are raising reo Māori speaking babies who are or are becoming second generation kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa, and wharekura graduates.
There was once a period of time in our own whenua when our people were forcibly prohibited from speaking te reo Māori and it is hurtful to even keep reminding ourselves of that. However, it is part of many of our people’s life stories but it is a part of our history that could never be repeated.
Te reo Māori is a window into the Māori world. Without te reo Māori we would be less able to articulate philosophies pertinent to understanding the Māori people and the way we view the world. Our world view is an extension of who we are and our relatedness to all living things in our ecosystem. It is more than a language for communication. Its versatility means that we’re able to connect to the past and the future while remaining in the present. Te reo Māori is magic!
Celebrating 50 years since the reo Māori petition is a signal for many things. One of those things being the ability for our generation to recognise that we stand on the shoulders of giants and have an obligation to continue to press on with Māori advancement for the betterment of our ideal future. The 14th of September, 1972 is forever etched in our history but what next? Our tūpuna must have dreamed of days where their mokopuna could freely speak and be educated in te reo Māori. As 21st century tūpuna of the future, what are our aspirations for our own mokopuna? Making mokopuna decisions start now!
It would be remiss not to acknowledge some of the barriers, traumas, and inability for some to speak te reo Māori in this day and age. Due to the ongoing colonisation of our people, te reo Māori is still out of reach for some, some are still estranged from their whenua taurikura, and some have no concept of the role tikanga Māori can play in our day to day lives. The westernised trade industry means that our people now have to pay to relearn their reo and the tikanga that comes with it. The colonisers beat out reo out of us and now we have to pay for its return, auē rā!
Tā Himi Hēnare also once said, “it is preposterous that any Māori should aspire to become a poor Pākehā when their true destiny prescribed by the Creator is to become a great Māori”. So what does becoming a great Māori mean? Is it taking on moko kauae and mataora? Is it reaching such a high proficiency of te reo Māori that it is the only language that we communicate in? Is it living by the stars and moon, growing, foraging, and collecting our own kai? Is it all or none of the above? Te reo Māori being the life force of the Māori people allows us to contemplate all of that because at one point of our history it was expected that our language would become extinct. So with that being said, and in the context of the aforementioned laundry list of questions, yes, it can all be possible. Becoming a great Māori has no measurements, no rules. Becoming a great Māori is about being the best version of yourself that you can be.
Speaking of great people, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the people working hard for the revitalisation and sustainability of our ahurea. Although we all play our part in our own small ways, it is the researchers and educators of reo, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori who enable us to fight another day armed with the eloquence of our mother tongue. Generations of urban and rural reo Māori educators maintain the life force of the Māori people and equally hold an importance for the survival of the many reo Māori nuances, from mita o te kāinga, everyday reo Māori, and across into the realm of formal speech making. Whilst one might not be able to reach the potency and eloquence of whaikōrero, basic reo Māori skills to participate in conversation still upholds the virtue of te reo Māori too.
It is not commonly understood that wherever you are in your reo journey, there is always much more to learn because of the depth, breadth, and vastness of te reo, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori. Learning te reo Māori is a never ending process, just like the ecosystem we exist in that never ends. Speaking te reo Māori is a never ending process, because there is always much more to be said. Imbued in our language is the life force of our people and that is something that will never be threatened again. For I WILL speak Māori!
