Hei tā te Toihautū o Te Puni Kōkiri, hei tā Michelle Hippolite, kei te koa Te Puni Kōkiri ki te tautoko i te Mahuru Māori, arā, he kaupapa tēnā e akiaki ana i te tangata ki te kōrero i te reo Māori anake i te marama o Mahuru.
“Koa katoa mātou ki te tautoko i tēnei kaupapa e tokomaha ake ai te hunga e kōrero ana i te reo Māori i roto i ā rātou mahi o ia rā. I tēnei marama, ka piki ake te nui o te hunga e kōrero Māori ana i ngā wāhi maha, arā, i ngā papa tākaro, i ngā toa, i ngā waka kawe tāngata, i ngā wāhi mahi anō,” te kī a Ms Hippolite.
Nui atu i te 3,000 ngā tāngata i rēhita ki Mahuru Māori i tēnei tau, otirā, kua huaruatia te nui o te hunga e kaha ana ki te ū ki te reo Māori i te roanga o te marama o Mahuru mai i tērā tau. Mā te tangata anō e whiriwhiri mēnā ka ū ia ki te reo Māori mō te katoa o te marama, mō te wiki kotahi, mō te rangi kotahi rānei i te wiki.
Hei tā Ms Hippolite, “Ka rawe hoki ki te kite atu i te nui o te hunga e tahuri mai ana ki te ako, ki te kōrero hoki i te reo Māori, waihoki, i te hunga kua rēhita mai ki te kaupapa o Mahuru Māori.”
“He wāhi nui tō ngā momo kaupapa pērā i te Mahuru Māori hei hiki ake i ngā mahi whakarauora i te reo Māori.”
Nā Paraone Gloyne nō Te Wānanga o Aotearoa te kaupapa i whakatū, me kī, he momo whakamātautau ā-pāpori i te tau 2014. I tēnei tau, kei te tautokona te kaupapa e Te Puni Kōkiri, e Te Mātāwai me te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
“Kei te kaha tautoko Te Puni Kōkiri i te whakarauoratanga mai anō o te reo Māori hei reo ora. He taonga tuku iho te reo, he reo whai mana i raro i te ture o tēnei whenua, he kūaha hoki ki te ao Māori,” te kī a Ms Hippolite.
Te Puni Kōkiri Chief Executive Michelle Hippolite says the Ministry is proud to support Mahuru Māori – an initiative that challenges people to only speak te reo Māori for the month of September.
“We are thrilled to be supporting this initiative that results in more people using te reo Māori in every part of their daily lives. During this month, there will be more people speaking te reo Māori in public spaces like playgrounds, in shops, on public transport and in the workplace,” says Ms Hippolite.
More than 3,000 people have registered for Mahuru Māori this year which is more than double the number of people who challenged themselves to speak te reo Māori during September last year. People can choose whether to commit to speaking Māori for the whole month, one week or one day a week.
Ms Hippolite says, “It is fantastic to see the growing number of people committed to learning and speaking te reo Māori including those who have signed up for Mahuru Māori.
“Initiatives like Mahuru Māori provide a great boost to the revitalisation of te reo Māori.”
Paraone Gloyne from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa started Mahuru Māori as a personal social experiment in 2014. This year, Te Puni Kōkiri has formally supported the campaign along with Te Mātāwai and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
“Te Puni Kōkiri fully supports the drive towards re-establishing te reo Māori as a living language. Te Reo Māori is a taonga tuku iho, an official language of this country and a doorway to Māori culture,” says Ms Hippolite.
Read the full article here.https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1809/S00036/supporting-mahuru-maori-maori-language-month.htm
