The council’s amended te reo policy said, “if a communication or sign relates to one iwi/hapū and its takiwā [area], their language preference/dialect will be used where appropriate”.
If more than one iwi or hapū were involved, the council would seek agreement about which style to use and failing that would fall back on Māori Language Commission standards.
The move to use diverse Taranaki reo was part of a review of the council’s Te Reo Māori Policy, which was originally set in 2019.
Iwi liaison manager Reg Korau said using local versions of te reo built trust with iwi and hapū.
“It ensures that our whānau feel comfortable that they’ve been addressed and respected in terms of knowing that it’s our local reo being used.”
He said using local reo also broke down barriers that councillors and staff might feel working in Māori settings.
“I’ve seen staff who have almost dumbfounded our iwi when they’ve stood and started the session with a karakia or ruruku and then done their mihimihi.”
About 80 staff had been through classes taught by Korau, who was a reo teacher for 24 years, as part of the council’s undertaking to promote the use of te reo Māori.
He said learning basic te reo offered a foundation for staff to understand Māori concepts that were increasingly a part of legislation.
But more expertise was needed when implementing “huge” changes in things like freshwater and resource management.
“It’s about ensuring we have the right staff in the room to support them.
“We talk about the mauri of the water: for us, it’s quite simple to understand but to try and share that in a positive or an appropriate way can still be very challenging, because we have so many different aspects of mauri.”
Policy and governance manager Becky Wolland took the council’s course to gain confidence and set a good example with correct pronunciation.
“I feel much more confident speaking to [iwi advisory committee] Te Kāhui Matauraura or ringing up someone from an iwi. It’s definitely been instrumental for me working better.”
Wolland said lessons included aspects of local history, which stayed with her when developing policies such as enhancing Māori input to decision-making and adopting a first right of refusal for Māori in council land sales.
Another council te reo student was Zoe Boyle, a safety adviser working in schools for Roadsafe Taranaki, run by the region’s three district councils.
Boyle said Roadsafe tried to be inclusive so its messages reached everyone.
“I work alongside a lot of rangatahi and kura in the area and I think it’s really important to incorporate te reo as much as I can.
“It just helps that I can go into a kura and introduce myself in te reo and talk about my kids’ and my husband’s iwi Ngāruahine - y’know just basic knowledge.”
* Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
