I'm not a fluent speaker, but I try every day to use what Māori I have ia ra, ia ra.
Being involved in kaupapa Māori eg: Farm committees, C Company Memorial House & Kura Pō it makes sense to strive for fluency in Te Reo Māori.
In my day job as Reference Librarian at H B Williams Memorial Library, I assist people with whakapapa & Ancestry.com, along with the usual school assignment & general queries. There's been a growth in pātai nā ngā Kura Kaupapa me ngā Wānanga tauira over the years, so that keeps me on my toes.
Recently COVID19 forced a lot of events to change tack. The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults moved to virtual storytelling sessions online. In our efforts to promote not just the English nominees, but the Māori books too, I read & recorded stories for our library's website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU31RdK6FQY&feature=youtu.be&_open=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl8UwulV6mg&feature=youtu.be
So in a nutshell, our grandparents didn't speak Māori to us, thinking that we needed English to get ahead in life. That was in the days before Māori TV, Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa & Wānanga, not to mention libraries, museums, local & national government - the list goes on! - where Te Reo Māori is an asset on your CV. But aside from all that, speaking Māori makes me feel connected to my whānau; those who are with us today, and those who have passed on.
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