Nei rā te reo rāhiri o Te Mātāwai ki ngā ringa tōhau nui e ārahi nei i te anamata o te reo Māori
Pānui Pāpāho
E whakahī rawa atu nei tā mātou pāpāho i te piki tūranga o ngā Hoa-Toihau hou a Brenda Soutar rāua ko Mātai Smith, me he hau pūangiangi e kawe nei i te ngākau whakapono ki ngā mahi whakarauora i te reo Māori.
Kua whā tau, neke atu a Brenda e noho ana ki te poari o Te Mātāwai, ka mutu he Hoa-Toihau taupua ia nō te marama o Hūrae, 2024. E heri mai nei i ōna wheako whakarauora i te reo Māori nō ngā tau e whā tekau, mā roto i te Kōhanga Reo, te Kura Kaupapa Māori me te Whare Wānanga anō hoki. Otirā, kua whakatupu i āna tamariki ki roto i te reo Māori, ā heke iho ki āna mokopuna.
“E anga whakamua ana taku titiro ki ngā aronga hou mō Te Mātāwai i a mātou e whakakaha ana i ngā tukanga nui e whāriki mai ana ki Te Ture Mō Te Reo Māori, ka mutu he whanake tonu i o tātou whānau, hapū, me ngā iwi ki te ārahi i o rātou ake wawata mō te reo Māori,” hei tā Brenda.
He ngākau whakapuke tō Mātai Smith ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori, pau te kaha. I puta tona ihu i te rangapū tuatahi mō Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo Māori, ka mutu he toa mō te reo i o tātou pouaka whakaata me te reo irirangi anō hoki mō ngā tau e rua tekau, neke atu. Ka mutu, nō te marama o Oketopa, 2019 timata ai tana mahi mō te poari o Te Mātāwai.
Hei tā Mātai, “E rongo ana ahau i te ihi ki te hāpai i te anga whakamua o Te Mātāwai ki ngā kaupapa matua - Tukuihotanga (te āta whai i te tukuihotanga) me te Hononga Hapori (Ngā Hapori Reo Māori kua tūhonohono) i a mātou e tautoko tonu ana i a tātou hapori ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori kia ūkaipō anō te reo.”
Nei rā te reo aumihi ki a Reikura Kahi mō tōna kaha tohe mō ngā kaupapa a Te Mātāwai i a ia i te tūranga Hoa Toihau nō te marama o Hānuere, 2021. Ahakoa ka heke ia i tēnei turanga, ka noho ia hei mema mō te poari o Te Mātāwai mō tēnei wā.
“E mihi ana ki a Reikura mōna i ārahi i te poari o Te Mātāwai i ngā tau e rima kua pahure. Tuatahi hei Hoa-Toihau ki tō Tiare Te Pana taha, ka rua ki a Bernie O’Donnell, ka toru ki a Brenda Soutar. Kāore i kō atu, i kō mai i a ia,” te maioha a Mātai.
-ka mutu-