Poupou Huia Te Reo

This week, I started a five month intensive course in te reo Māori (Māori language), at the end of which I will be certified as a Māori language speaker. I am thrilled to be taking this course, and even more delighted that I am taking it with six of my colleagues. It is an online course, and while it is extremely interactive as far as online courses go, face-to-face interaction and speaking out loud to a real person are invaluable when it comes to learning language. So I am lucky to have people to do that with. It also feels good to know that I work at a place where so many other people are willing to commit their own time and effort to learning this language.

The course is through Te Wānanga o Raukawa, which is a university founded by a Māori marae (cultural centre) that educates students in a way that is consistent with Māori culture and values. This course is completely free to all NZ citizens and permanent residents, and is part of the university's commitment to reviving and celebrating te reo Māori. Read more about it here.

Here is a short excerpt from the home page of my course:

Nau mai | Welcome

Kei ngā mana, kei ngā reo, kei ngā kainiwha o tō tātou nei reo, nau mai, haere mai ki a Poupou Huia Te Reo.  Tēnei e mihi ake ana!

Welcome to all of you who have elected to pursue Poupou Huia Te Reo. It is a privilege to have you studying with Te Wānanga o Raukawa.   

The lessons in the course are designed to teach the language of the home so you and your families or flatmates can share this Māori language journey together. Learning is set around the daily activities of a real whānau and popular fairy tales to help teach phrases that you can use straight away in your everyday life. 

 

Whether your goal is to gain an introduction to the Māori language or develop fluency in the longer term, we hope that your Huia Te Reo experience will contribute to your ongoing reo journey. 

Heoi anō, go to the next section, Ngā Mahi Tōmua, to begin the course. Karawhiua e hoa - give it your all!

So far, I've just done a few introductory activities and exercises, and it seems interesting and fun. It has mostly been stuff that I already know, but I think that's appropriate for the first week, and I'm sure that we will quickly get into new stuff for me, as I have so much to learn!

The course suggests that you spend 12 hours per week on activities, homework, videos, studying, etc. I already work full time and have two book clubs that I'm very committed to, as well as various other projects I work on, so 12 hours a week is a daunting prospect. However, I get energy from language learning because I love it so much, and I am finding language number three significantly easier than language number two, so it is often pretty instantaneously rewarding. I think that all those years of forcing French into my brain has solidified enough linguistic neural pathways that Māori is somewhat fast-tracked, which is fabulous.

I'm looking forward to collaborating with my colleagues on this as well. We're at various levels of competency and comfort going in, so I think that I will sometimes be providing support, and sometimes receiving it, and that will be ideal.

All that being said, I anticipate that the next five months will be jam-packed and exhausting, and am going to do my best to be gentle with myself. I know it will all be worth it, and am delighted with this opportunity, so... here goes!