Where to learn te reo Māori

AUT runs free te reo Māori classes. Photo / Natalie Slade

Mai i te Kōpae ki te Urupa, tātou ako tonu ai.

From the cradle to the grave we are forever learning.

So you had the best intentions. This year was going to be the year. It was your New Year's resolution for goodness' sake. Maybe as a New Zealander you feel ashamed that you speak so little. Or your favourite nana and your new flatmate are both fluent. Perhaps you loved your beginner's reo class and always meant to continue it. Or you are going to the marae soon and you're embarrassed. Or maybe your kids are shaming you with the beautiful kupu and whakataukī they come home with. Perhaps you just really want to pronounce Māori words and place names correctly. Maybe you were in a kohanga reo until school but you're losing what you had. Or you want to be able to do karanga on the marae. Whatever the reason, you want to learn.

But somehow it's June. Halfway through the year and you still haven't started. But, good news! You have a second chance. Here are a few places in Auckland you can still enrol at to start at the beginning of term 3 (or semester 2 - around the end of July) to begin or continue your te reo Māori language journey.

UNITEC

Unitec have campuses in Mount Albert and Waitākere and classes Monday to Wednesday from 6-9pm for 10 weeks (Waitakere classes are Tuesday nights only). You need to enrol before Friday July 13 , 2018 for term 3 which starts on July 23. The classes are free but there's an 80 per cent attendance policy - miss more than two classes and you'll be withdrawn from the class. There's homework too, so this is great for people serious about their learning.

unitec.ac.nz/maori/maori-courses/te-reo-maori

RUTHERFORD COLLEGE

Rutherford College runs te reo Māori classes for beginners on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm. It's a fun, interactive class that helps you to express yourself in everyday life situations, but includes aspects of tikanga and culture. The classes run for 7 weeks and cost $89. You can start on August 15 or October 29 2018.

rutherfordcomed.co.nz/courses/145-te-reo-maori-beginners

AUCKLAND WOMEN'S CENTRE

Auckland Women's Centre in Grey Lynn offer beginners Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori on Monday nights starting on 6 August from 7-9pm for 8 weeks. Course cost is $8-$160. You'll learn "correct pronunciation, karakia (prayer), waiata (song), mihimihi (formal greeting/introduction), various forms of greetings, useful phrases and sentences through participation and conversation". Enrol here: awc.org.nz/classes-support-groups-activities/#workshop-100

SELWYN COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Selwyn runs evening Level 1 (introductory) and level 2 te reo classes. It costs $65 for an eight-week course. The next introductory course starts on July 31 on Tuesday nights from 7-9pm, then another course starts October 16. It covers pronunciation, greetings and language used in particular cultural contexts. The level 2 class on Wednesday night starts October 17.

selwyncomed.school.nz/

ONEHUNGA HIGH SCHOOL

Onehunga High School has an adult learning centre that runs eight week courses on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm. It costs $69 for NZ residents/citizens. Courses start on 8 August and 24 October. This course says it introduces the structure of Māori language and society, customs, literature and songs.

ohs.arlo.co/courses/203-te-reo-maori-stage-i

TE HERENGA WAKA O OREWA

Te Herenga Waka o Orewa Marae on Hibiscus Coast has kura in Silverdale and Manukau. They run full immersion classes led by qualified tutors. You need to have some reo knowledge to be able to join the 2018 second semester class, so this is really for intermediate level students.

teherengawakaoorewa.co.nz/community-services/

AUT

AUT runs free classes taught by Te Ara Poutama, the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development, for current students of AUT. They offer beginner and intermediate Māori language courses free. Semester 2 in 2018 starts July 16. You'll not want to miss many classes here either - if you fail a paper but want to re-enrol you must pay the full tuition fee.

PLANNING AHEAD

TE WĀNANGA AOTEAROA

Te Wānanga Aotearoa have campuses in Mangere and Henderson. You can join a full immersion class from day one. This fee-free course is popular so you can't join in for the second semester of 2018 but they are taking sign-ups for 2019.

twoa.ac.nz

AT HOME

If you want to learn but don't want to put your shoes on and leave the house, here are some online resources:

• Reobot is a fun AI tool in facebook messenger that helps with your conversational reo - send Reobot a message and have a chat. facebook.com/tereobot/

• Māori Language Net has a series of podcasts in the Speak Māori section to listen

maorilanguage.net/speak-maori/

• Te Whanake is a great source for activities, animations, resources and podcasts. tewhanake.maori.nz/

• Te Wānanga o Raukawa has a 20-week online course that is free for citizens and residents. You'll learn through audio lessons and activities.

wananga.com/News/35/Learn-te-reo-online-with-Huia-Te-Reo

• Mahi Kāinga is an 8 week course for beginners that costs $45. mahikainganz.com/2018/05/28/mahi-kainga-online-courses/