Mane 23 Hōngongoi 2007

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Ko te reo, te hā te mauri o te Māoritanga
Language is the very life-breath of being Māori

Learning a language is a tremendous skill. Many Kiwis discover on their OE how useful a second or third language can be – and they also find out about the uniqueness of the Māori culture and how it helps define us as New Zealanders - the haka is commonly used by Kiwis overseas to show their pride, for example.

Māori became an official language of New Zealand in 1987, although Te wiki o te reo Māori has been celebrated since 1975.

During Te wiki o te reo Māori, we’re providing links to resources to help you become an active learner of te reo Māori. There are plenty of easy ways to start and techniques to help you learn and remember. The library is running public courses, and have created a kete matauranga, a basket of resources, to kick start your learning. Users of the library can also find a guide to bi-lingual signage, including sound files for correct pronunciation.

Advice for learners: Practice and persevere

Aurelia Arona is kaitakawaenga at Christchurch City Libraries. This week she explains some of the benefits of having te reo Māori as a language skill and gives some advice to first-time learners.

A comprehensive resource listing has been compiled by te kopuka kaituara, (reference librarian, Māori) Moata Tamaira. It includes dictionaries, courses, and phrases.

Cultural and historical context

Learning a language is harder without a wider cultural and historical backdrop. Our heritage pages include both local and national Māori heritage information, including myths and legends. Tī Kōuka Whenua provides rich content on Otautahi and its surrounds before European settlement, and includes audio files. Information on tribal history and art and culture, including kapa haka, weaving, music and writing makes for interesting reading.

Te Kerēme, the Ngāi Tahu Waitangi Tribunal Claim is a searchable, selective index to the Ngāi Tahu claim settlement with the Crown. It provides references to material from the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board Claim before the Waitangi Tribunal. The claim is held in the Ngā Pounamu Māori Centre of the Central Library.

Those with an interest in history will enjoy our brief guide to the Treaty of Waitangi - a fundamental document in Aotearoa / New Zealand’s history.

Must-know words and phrases

NZ history.net have listed 100 Māori words that every New Zealander should know, which also has audio to assist with pronunciation. You can also find a guide to protocols and use of language on the Korero Māori web site.

The Korero Māori web site is part of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission. Their interactive conversations are excellent, and there are sections for learners, speakers and business people. They also have a pronunciation guide and a language club.

So now that you know the resources that are offer – have a go!

We recommend: Te reo Māori language learning tools

Our online resources

Guide to our Māori pages, and the story of our library names
Our beginner’s kete, including the Māori alphabet
Days of the week and colours in Māori.
Pepeha or traditional sayings
Children’s stories with a Māori focus.
Resource listing, including dictionaries, course book and television programmes, including:
- Te Aka online dictionary
Users of the library can also find a guide to bi-lingual signage, including sound files for correct pronunciation.

Ara Ipurangi mō te Iwi Māori / Internet Gateway listings

Hauora - Health
Iwi - Tribal Information
Kai Moana - Fisheries
Mātauraka - Education
Ngā Tangata/Porihanga - People/Society
Pānuitaka - News and Newspapers
Pūtaiao / Hakarau - Science and Technology
Tamariki - Children
Umaka - Business
Te reo Māori – Language

Browse the resources in our libraries

Cultureflow A multimedia set that includes workbook, CD, and CD-ROM, levels 1 & 2
Q’s course in Māori Written by Quinton Hita for beginners, has pronunciation practice and works up to basic sentences
Pronounce Māori with confidence For beginners who need pronunciation practice, comes with a CD
Resource listing for te reo Māori learners

More information

localeye listings for Māori community, education, language and Ngai Tahu links
Community courses from CINCH, our community directory.

Resources:

Generation Reo has excellent material for parents wanting to raise bilingual children, and answers many common questions about issues that parents may face. There’s help for those starting out, tips and hints for along the way, as well as links and downloads for learning resources.

Next week - Film

Come to the movies - we interview Nick Paris from Alice in Videoland about the Telecom 31st Christchurch International Film Festival.