Heoi anō hei tāna, tā te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, he ngāwari noa kia pērā, i runga anō i te angitū o Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori i tēnei tau.

E ahu mai ana ētahi o taua angitū i te kōrero me te tautoko mai i ētahi momo wāhi, i ētahi momo tāngata kāore hoki e tino whakaarohia hei kaitātaki i ngā mahi whakarauora ake i te reo. 

Nō te kōrero o Andrew Mehrtens e tangi ana mō te ngaronga o tōna reo (nā wai hoki i mōhio), me ngā tāngata rongonui o te hunga pāpāho pērā i te Pete Williams e kī ana me makere atu te wāhanga reo Ingarihi o te ngaringari a te motu, me Heather du Plessis-Allan e mea ana he whakaaro iti rawa noa iho te kotahi wiki hei whakanui i te Reo Māori, tae atu ki te New Zealand Herald e tuku ana i tō rātou kōrero whakapāha mō tō rātou kupu whakakāhore ki te tā i tētahi pānui whakamaumahara ki te reo Māori anake – ko te mahi o te reo Māori hei āhuatanga panoni, hei āhuatanga whakarauika anō hoki i te tangata koia ngā tino hua kua kitea i ngā mahi whakanui i te reo i tēnei tau.

Koia hoki te whāriki o ngā mahi whakatairanga ka kōkiritia e Te Taura Whiri hei ngā tau e tū mai nei.

“E hia nei ā mātou tūmomo kōkiri o mua rā i whakamātauria ai e mātou, ki a au nei i te kauhau noa mātou i aua kōkiri ki te hunga kua huri kē ki te reo Māori.  Nō reira i te rironga mai o te tūranga, kua tata hipa te kotahi tau ināianei, i mōhio kē au ka hiahia puta atu au ki te tiro me te kōrero ki te hapori tonu.”

Mēnā he angitū te wiki i runga i te whānui o te pāpāhotanga o te reo Māori me ngā tino kōrero i whakaaturia mō te reo Māori te take i taua wiki, ko te tino whakaterenga o tēnei ko te mahi whakatuwhera i Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – arā ko te hīkoikoi i Pōneke, he mea i tīmata i te Whare Pāremata, i mutu i Te Papa, neke atu i te 5,000 tāngata katoa i tae atu. 

“Me kī i puta te whakaaro ki a au he mōrea tēnei mahi whakahaere i tētahi hīkoikoi i waenga pū o te Hōtoke. Mō te katoa o te marama i mua i te hīkoi, he rite tonu taku tirotiro ki ngā matapae huarere.  Māringanui mātou i te menemene mai me te arohanui a Tāwhirimātea ki a tātou.  Engari ki te haere tonu tēnei momo whakanui, me whakaaro kia nuku te hīkoi ki ngā marama mahana ake.”

I runga i tōna whakaaro mō te pupuritanga ā-hapori o te reo, e rata ana hoki a Ngahiwi ki ngā hīkoi ā-rohe ka whakahaerehia kia ōrite ā-motu, ā, ka whakaaturia ā-ipurangi i te wā e haere ana ngā mahi, e ai ki a ia koirā te tino huarahi hei whakatere i Te Wiki o te Reo Māori hei ngā rā e tū mai nei.

“He pono taku kōrero mō te whakatairanga i te reo Māori ki a Ngāi Māori, ki a Pākehā mā hoki puta atu ki ngā rohe.” E hiahia ana au ki te panoni i te āhua o ngā whakawhitiwhitinga me te whakawhanake i tētahi huarahi mā te katoa ki te whakatairanga me te whakarauora ake i te reo.

Ehara i te mea ko te mārama ki te hiakai a te motu ki te reo me te whakarite whakatairanga ngā mea e kipakipa ana i ngā whakaaro o Ngahiwi.  Nō te whakaturetanga o nā noa nei o Te Ture mō te Reo Māori 2016, ā, me te whakatūnga o te tira hou nei a Te Mātāwai, te āhua nei ka huri te ao o Te Taura Whiri.

Ahakoa kua kitea i runga i ngā āhuatanga hou ka pupuru tonu Te Taura Whiri i āna mahi tuku tiwhikete pūkenga me ngā mahi whakatairanga i te reo – ka ngaro atu te pūtea hapori me tētahi wāhanga o tana pūtea rangahau, i te mea ka whakawhitia te pūtea Mā te Reo, te CBLI (Community Based Language Initiatives) me te kaupapa He Kāinga Kōrerorero ki Te Mātāwai.

Ka āhua raruraru i ēnei rā e tū mai nei te tūtei reo kua roa e tū ana, nōna i puta mai i te kaupapa tautohe ki te kāwanatanga o ngā tau whitu tekau me ngā kokoraho o muri nei pēnei i te WAI 11.  Ko ngā toihau me ngā kaiwhiri koia ko ētahi o ngā tino rangatira o te ao Māori i roto i ngā tau pēnā i a Tā Kīngi Īhaka, a Amīria Simpson, a Tīmoti Kāretu me Erima Hēnare.  Nā te nui o te mana whakaheke o ēnei rangatira e rangona tonutia ana te hau o taua mana puta noa i te whakahaere otirā i te rāngai, me te aha, mōhio pū a Ngahiwi ki tēnei.

“Ehara i te mea i tono noa au ki te mahi me te kore whakaaro, ki a au nei he waimarie katoa au, me te mea ko au te kaiwhakahaere i tēnei wā o te panoni me te rangirua.  Kātahi te whiwhinga, ka ngana au ki te whakatika me te whakahāngai anō i te pūtahi ki tāna mahi hou.  Kei te noho takatū mātou, kua rite ki te mahi tahi me Te Mātāwai ka whakawhanake i tētahi rāngai reo Māori whai hua e whakatītina ana i ngā hononga whaihua ki ngā tari kāwanatanga me ngā pakihi kia mahi ngātahi i runga i ngā kōkiritanga whakarauora ake i te reo Māori.”   

Hei aha ngā kōrero mō te whakataetae, te tāruatanga rānei o ngā mahi i waenga i ngā whakahaere e rua, he pai kē atu kia hāngai te titiro ki tētahi huarahi e arotahi ana ki te waihanga putanga mau tonu, mau tonu mō te reo te take.

“Kotahi anake te huarahi e whakapiki ai i te nui o te tāngata e kōrero Māori ana ko te honohono me te mahi ngātahi i te taha o ētahi atu.  E kore tō tātou reo e ora i runga i te mahi a te kotahi, a te ruarua pūtahi rānei i Te Whanganui a-Tara.  Ka taea kē e mātou te ārahi, te tohutohu me te tautoko ētahi atu i ngā mahi whakarauora ake i te reo, ki a au koirā kē te aronga nui mā Te Taura Whiri hei ngā rā e tū mai nei.”

“E hiahia ana mātou kia whai tūranga e kura ana ki te rāngai.  E hiahia ana mātou kia ngākau tapatahi te āhua o ā mātou mahi me te whakarite i te kounga hei whāinga mā te katoa, ka mutu he whakawhanake i te ahurea whakapikinga tonutanga i ā mātou mahi katoa.  Nō reira me mahi tahi mātou/tātou katoa i roto i te rāngai reo Māori.  Ki te kore ka noho papa ko tō tātou reo.  E ai ki ngā rangahautanga kei waenga i te 18 – 21 ōrau o te hunga Māori he kōrero Māori, ā, e 3 ōrau anake o Aotearoa he mōhio ki te kōrero Māori. Ki te kore koe e whakamataku i tērā kia mahi ngātahi ki aua atu whakahaere me pēhea hoki!”

Kāore rawa ia i te noho ki pae tata.