Ngā ara reo Māori: language pathways

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.
Ko te kupu te mauri o te reo Māori.

The language is the life force of the mana Māori. The word is the life force of the language.

This whakataukī explains how language is the essence of Māori wellbeing, and that language use is the essence of language flourishing. When we nurture our language and tikanga, we nurture our identity and our ability to flourish.

•   Learning and using te reo Māori provides the foundation to hear, understand, and incorporate traditional Māori values and practices in our daily lives.
•  It’s important in our identity as it provides a key to open and explore our whakapapa, and hapū and iwi stories.
•  It’s a bridge between generations where we can talk to both our kaumātua and also our tamariki coming through the Kōhanga Reo.
•  It allows us to better understand Māori values and practices connected to relationships and the environment.

•   Make your space a te reo Māori space -
  •  Get a Māori dictionary or use the online Māori dictionary and place new kupu (words) around your room or house.
  •  Learn a new word a day. Begin with simple phrases or search for deeper meaning in what you already know.
•  Access te reo Māori resources, online learning programs, or examples of te reo Māori in use:
  •  https://www.maorilanguageresources.nz/
  •  https://taringapodcast.podbean.com/
  •  https://podtail.com/en/podcast/planting-seeds/
  •  http://www.maorilanguage.net/speak-maori/
•  Learn your pepeha (traditional tribal connections)
•  Play games with friends and whānau. Set tasks to learn new words or to learn about Māori traditions
•  Learn your history. What do you know about your whakapapa?
•  Listen to podcasts about Māori history, events and traditions.
•  Use the new words to write a story, draw a picture, or create something using other materials. The story can be in te reo, or part te reo and part English.
•  Have as many conversations as you can in te reo Māori, or use as many words as you can.
•  Chat with Reobot on messenger
•  Use Reo – an app that photographs an object and shows you the kupu Māori for it.
•  Learn the words to a waiata or write a poem.
•  Write your own karakia, waiata, or learn mōteatea.
•  Attend tribal events like iwi games and Te Matatini
•  Use Drops – an app with categories like food, objects, transportation, and more, where you swipe an image to match a corresponding word on screen. These visual mnemonics help us to learn and remember new words and phrases easily.