I had the great good luck to start learning Māori in 1974, at university in Wellington. The Kirk Labour government had given a nod to Māori language and the Treaty of Waitangi, so it was a bit trendy.
About half of my introductory Māori class was Pākehā, but that proportion dropped rapidly as I progressed through my degree. I think only one other Pākehā completed stage three, so we were an unusual minority.
I was welcomed into Te Reo Māori Society, and later Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo, and I was taken under the wing of many outstanding mentors: Koro Dewes and his whānau, Huirangi Waikerepuru, Maaka Jones, Hirini Mead, Pae Ruha, and many, many others. I’ve also been employed by Māori or Treaty-based organisations. So if I stuffed up, it was clear who should correct me.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington | Wellington City | 1970-79 | Education
Comments