My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul

I have chosen a whakataukī or Māori proverb as the title for this piece of writing. It articulates a powerful image of the essential relationship between a people and the language through which they communicate the deepest meanings within their lives. This whakataukī has been closely linked to the revitalisation of the Māori language. Te reo Māori, the first language of Aotearoa, is a taonga of and for all the people who call this land home. This short article is an attempt to provide a point of reflection for those who feel conflicted by the call from this Government who have announced a commitment to reduce, relegate and remove the country’s original language — and, for a second time, subordinate te reo Māori to the language of the colonisers.

It is of grave concern to Māori that after the years of commitment by Māori and Pākehā through kōhanga reo/Māori language preschool, kura kaupapa/schools operating under Māori custom and using te reo Māori, Māori Studies at university and iwi wānanga/Māori tertiary studies providers, we are facing this threat that has the power to reduce us to a monolingual country. It could be that the two Members of Parliament driving this particular direction feel inadequate in their capacity to use te reo Māori. They claim that their iwi status is of value and importance to them, so why reject the language? I am leaving these MPs' “frailty” to their respective iwi to address as the iwi has the right and responsibility to deal to anything that affects their collective mana.

Language Is Key

Language is a vital tool for communication allowing a people to articulate at the deepest level relationships, spiritualities, prayers, emotions and the significant rituals essential to the life of a people. It is an essential means to interpret ourselves in the context of our place in the universe. Through our language we are able to share perspectives, articulate decisions and explain our actions in any given situation. It opens our smallness to ever bigger circles of interaction through the conversations we have.

Although te reo has not increased at the speed advocates hoped for, it can be heard now in most areas of this country though not always with the fluency or desired pronunciation. Throughout Aotearoa phrases and words are in everyday use by people from all walks of life for both formal and casual events.

We are realising that for too long colonisers have denied Indigenous peoples their right to their language and the true expression of their cultures. Those of us who have travelled to other countries have had opportunities to experience and be enriched by different languages and rituals of engagement religious and secular.

Some people, including some tangata whenua, say te reo belongs to Māori and should be reserved for Māori use within their cultural setting and practices. I suggest there are one or two underlying aspects feeding this thinking. The obvious one is racism — it is the go-to position for those who struggle with difference. It will be thinly disguised but the racism is instantly recognisable to Indigenous peoples. The other major contender for this position is fear — fear of being excluded, of loss of control, of the comfort of belonging to the dominant group that determines the “norm” of all things, including language. Simply put, the key to the whole issue of resisting the use of te reo Māori, is the need for power and control — to control the norms by which society operates.

Uptake of Te Reo Māori

However, as new migrant peoples arrive with diverse cultures and begin to embrace their new home they are openly engaging with what the Kiwi experience offers. This includes te reo and Māori cultural practices, religious rituals and ways of celebrating. Many, particularly some Asian peoples, have excellent pronunciation due to the similarity of te reo Māori vowel sounds to their own mother tongue.

This guarantee of Aotearoa as a bicultural nation was signed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi on 6 February 1840 between the Crown and Iwi Māori. It has been a contentious reality that successive Governments have failed to honour over generations.

The very thought of the perceived loss of control by some Pākehā, predominantly males, finds this an unacceptable reality. So begins the dance of the desperate, to undo all that has been achieved through the blood sweat and tears of Māori, Pākehā and new migrants in workshops on Te Titiriti, within Government organisations and private groups to ensure the nation’s organisations integrate te reo.

Just when the country has reached a point of traction on the place of Māori in their homeland our current coalition government wants to reduce our country to monolingual status. Their explanation that New Zealanders are not intelligent enough to read signs and titles written in te reo with English underneath is indefensible.

Call to Churches

I think the Churches across Aotearoa are called to stand with tangata whenua against any attempt to remove or relegate the status of the language of their First Nation People to the point of invisibility. The diminishment of te reo Māori will in effect make Māori invisible in this society. Christians share the Scriptures which name our rights and responsibilities towards one another. “A new commandment I give to you. That you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). “Who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:25-37).

For Christians to stand by and say or do nothing is to side with those who have the power to diminish and make Māori invisible.

Pope Francis, addressing the Grand Chancellor of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, spoke of the role and responsibility of Catholic colleges and universities. He says: “Mercy is not just a pastoral attitude, but it is the very substance of the Gospel of Jesus.

"Without mercy our theology, our law, our pastoral care run the risk of collapsing into bureaucratic narrow-mindedness or ideology, which by their nature seeks to domesticate the mystery. Understanding theology is understanding God, who is love.”

Our call, then, is to act from love and support the essential place of te reo for the well-being of Māori and all New Zealand peoples.

Kia ora koutou katoa.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 289 February 2024: 6-7