OPINION:Time to give te reo a try

GIVE IT A TRY: Te reo is part of our cultural fabric as New Zealanders - so why not make more effort to give it a go?

A couple of weeks back, I had the privilege of meeting Irihapeti Roberts and Shari Taylor, co-founders of new adult kapa haka group Te Rangiura o Wairarapa (our front page story last week).

For many of its performers, Te Rangiura o Wairarapa has been an opportunity to freely speak te reo, when previously they had been afraid -- for fear of being ridiculed by peers.

This got me thinking about the current state of te reo in New Zealand, and attitudes towards it. Te Reo Maori is enshrined in law (Maori Language Act 1987) as an official language of Aotearoa -- as is New Zealand Sign Language. English is the de facto because of its widespread use. Yet, in my daily life, I have encountered contempt for te reo.

In Wairarapa, Maori place names are regularly mispronounced: Kahutara (Cow-How-Tra) and Taratahi (Tara-Tie), for example. Some take pleasure in their mispronunciation and correct those who speak properly -- because to do so is "PC gone mad".

Friends who work in the health sector have been accused of pandering to Maori when using karakia. Others' children have used nicknames because teachers didn't bother learning to pronounce their names. Colleagues have rolled their eyes when asked to learn a few words in te reo for work.

Not to mention the couple who appeared on Campbell Live, furious their daughter's daycare centre had taught her words like"kai" and "whanau". The young worker disciplined for greeting customers with "kia ora". Our own PM, who believes a Maori Language Month would be "boring".

Is it any wonder Maori have shied away from their language? Is it the fear that if we advocate for the marginalised, our rights will disappear? As academic Kahurangi Maxwell wrote, "[these attitudes] are founded in a belief that English must remain predominant and might be threatened." A perception Maori is useless -- from the days when children were caned and told they must "korero Pakeha" if they wanted work? Plain old racism?

A friend told me she couldn't muster the enthusiasm for te reo when she often sees Maori in her neighbourhood living in poverty, battling addiction and neglecting their children. We need more than a language revival to deal with these issues, she thought.

But we're talking about a people whose language was beaten out of them. Who, because of colonial arrogance and systemic prejudice, were divorced from their culture and customs. Surely therefore, a friendly word in te reo and a correctly pronounced town is a step forward? To show Maori their words, part of our cultural fabric, are cherished, and they are not strangers in our country?

Plus, research has shown being bilingual is highly beneficial: for example, learning one or more languages has been found to boost planning and impulse control skills, reduce the risk of dementia, and improve memory function in young children. That can't be a bad thing, can it?

If we're fine with our All Blacks throwing down a challenge in Maori before a game, then surely we can use a few words in our conversations. So, give it a try, and say Ka-hu-ta-ra. You'll find it goes a long way.