Kura ā-iwi kaiako are sharpening their reo Māori and teaching skills at Te Wharekura o Mauao, with a focus on strengthening te reo in classrooms and communities.
The Kura Reo workshops bring kaiako together to build confidence, share knowledge and develop their reo and teaching practice.
Kimiora Webster from Kura A-Iwi o Aotearoa says the reo Māori spoken by kaiako and tamariki is continuing to grow.
“Tino pai ngā mahi, kei te koke whakamua te rere o te reo Māori ki ngā kaiako. Ka mutu, kei te kite i te tupu o te hia kai me te kaunga o te reo Māori ki roto i ngā tamariki, ā, ki roto i ngā kaiako.”
Webster says building confidence among kaiako, kura, whānau and communities is key to keeping te reo Māori strong for generations to come.
“Ko te whainga nui kia tipu te maia, me te kohara ki roto i ngā kaiako, ki roto i ngā kura, ki roto i ngā whānau, ki roto i ngā hapori. Ki ora tonu ai te reo Māori, mō āke āke āke.”
For Te Wharekura o Mauao kaiako Hohaia Reihana, the workshops are also an opportunity to identify areas where he can strengthen his own reo.
“Ki ōku nei whakaaro te haere o ngā awheawhe i tēnei rangi, pai hoki te wairua o ngā tāngata kua tae mai, o ngā kaiako kua tae mai. Kei te kaha rere te reo Māori, kei te kaha rangona i te reo Māori anō hoki.”
Reihana has taken part in a workshop focused on language errors, looking at how mistakes can occur in both kaiako and tauira reo.
“Kātahi anō au kia uru atu ki te awheawhe o ngā hapa reo, ki te taha o Matariki Cribb-Fox, ā, ki tāku nei rongo e maha ngā hapa ka puta mai i te reo o te kaiako, i te reo o te tauira anō hoki, nō reira kei te kaha ngana ahau ki te whakatika i ēnei momo hapa ki roto i te karaehe.”
He says returning to Kura Reo allows him to continue strengthening his reo while learning something new each year.
“Ko te tino whāinga kia hoki mai ki ēnei whakangūngū kia whakapakari tonu te reo, i haere mai au ki tēnei kura reo i tērā tau ā i hoki mai au i tēnei tau. Ko te hiahia kia rerekē tonu ngā awheawhe i ia tau, kia pai tōku hokinga mai ki konei, me te ako i ētehi mea hou.”
Webster says the changing way knowledge is delivered to tauira means kaiako must continue developing their own reo and teaching practice.
He is encouraging people to attend kura reo, sharpen their reo and play their part in keeping te reo Māori alive.
“He akiaki tēnei ki ngā tāngata katoa kia haere ki ngā kura reo, ki te whakakoi i te arero, ki te whakaora i te reo Māori, ki roto i a rātou.”