NZTC’s commitment to te reo Māori competency

Krystal Taiapa

Whakatōngia te kākano o te reo, whāngaia kia tipu, kia puāwai
Plant the seed of the language, nourish it so it grows and blossoms

New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) recognises the importance of te reo Māori as a taonga to be cherished and shared far and wide, and has implemented a number of kaupapa to promote and support the learning and teaching of this precious language.

Woven throughout the college’s Health and Wellbeing and Early Childhood curriculums, an introduction to te ao Māori, tikanga Māori and te reo Māori enables students to establish skills in te reo Māori whilst gaining an understanding of the cultural context in which it is used.

Courses in the college’s Health and Wellbeing programs explore Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Māori values and operating principles, and the application of these in practice. Students are encouraged to reflect on the ways in which culture impacts on perspectives of health and wellbeing and client support, weaving Te Tiriti based practices throughout.

“The courses provide students with the content and knowledge needed to confidently embrace and use te reo Māori in their practice. We also encourage students to explore tikanga and te ao Maori, and to encourage others to do the same,” shares Health and Wellbeing Program Lead, Maxine Farquhar.

Kaupapa focused on the continued development of te reo Māori within the early childhood community is crucial to normalise the language among tamariki, shares NZTC Kaiārahi - Teaching and Learning Support, Krystal Taiapa.

“Just some of the things we are doing to support te reo Māori revitalisation include our ‘Wāhanga Akoranga’ – te reo Māori block sessions for academic staff and ‘Tō Huarahi ki te reo Māori – Your Pathway to Māori language’ – professional development workshops for Associate Teachers.

Rauemi (resources) developed by NZTC to support te reo Māori teaching, learning and research include the publication of Te Reo Māori: He taonga mō ā tatou mokopuna, and He Kupu research articles that are focused on te reo Māori and tikanga within the context of the early childhood setting.

“Our college-wide kaupapa ensure te reo Māori reaches all levels of our Health and Wellbeing and Early Childhood Education communities – kia tangata whenua anō te reo (to normalise/naturalise the language) across these sectors,” says Taiapa.