It is a metaphorical, poetic, beautiful language, she says. Some people may accuse her of being a language snob, but she thinks it is important to kōrero Māori properly.
“There is a point where it goes beyond just grammar mishaps. Some people need to be the taniwha of te reo and say that it has to be correct and it has to flow and it has to be Māori, because otherwise it’s not a language anymore.
“I’m certainly not perfect. I make mistakes all the time and some days I feel like I can’t speak English or Māori. It’s hard but the only way to get better is to keep trying, keep making mistakes and actually learn from them. It’s not always about being the best, sometimes it’s just about being better today than yesterday.”
It is Kotahi Mano Kāika programme leader Paulette Tamati-Elliffe whose knowledge inspired her the most.
“Aunty Paulette is the reason I wanted to be better. We grew up around Kotahi Mano Kāika, not in it 100 per cent to the same extent that her boys were, but she and Uncle Komene did their best to involve us and take us to the whānau reo dinners and all of that stuff. They used to come and pick us up and take us out to the marae for wānaka. And of course they were my high school kapa haka tutors alongside Whaea Cherie, Whaea Ange, Matua Tane and Whaea Marcie.
“I always remember her telling me to learn te reo Māori before I have children, because more time and fewer responsibilities and your brain works better when you’re younger. I always wanted to make sure I learnt Māori before I had kids, because I wanted my children to be raised in te reo and I didn’t want to start learning when I got pregnant, because that would be a nightmare.
“Paulette and Komene always reminded us that they were once beginners and now they’re, like, the people who run kōrero. They’re just like legends. They are the people there alongside others revitalising our language. I love that Aunty Paulette’s entire life is learning and working to revitalise te reo Māori. I can’t think of a better way to leave my mark on the world.”
Ōtākou | Otago | Dunedin City | 2010-19 | Story is by tangata whenua
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