Kia ora, future reo enthusiasts! I hope that means I am addressing ALL of Aotearoa.
Language is both a right and an obligation. There is power in language, and with power comes responsibility. I am part of a wider movement to recognise the responsibility we have in upholding reo Māori and all that it entails, as the lifeblood of people, place, and culture. I hope that the steps we are taking now, and those moments where all we can do is hold ground, mean that whoever is reading this in 50 years time can enjoy the comfortable weight of this responsibility without a fight.
My favourite whakatauāki is 'He ripo, he tupuna'. At every rapid, a guardian. Sir Archie Taiaroa said this about te awa of Whanganui, ngākau nui ki au. I have adopted this whakatauāki as a teaching philosophy, but I also think it applies to the way I think about reo Māori. Reo is an unstoppable force that will flow. Our guardianship will protect, nurture, and grow the flow of reo, for our mokopuna, and theirs.
