An outside view

Tu Tangata, Issue 9, 1 December 1982, Page 29

An outside view

You would never guess that the potholed, cracked and decaying car park was a marae and that the old grey prefabs were part of it too. But this is the marae of the Wellington Polytechnic school of languages. Here people from all walks of life, all parts of the country and world come to study Maori. Up to six years ago there was no Maori taught in the school of languages and it was a Polytech staff member Mr Martin Winiata who made the first moves towards introducing a Maori course. The course was set up in 1977 and has been going strongly ever since. It has three full-time tutors, Roimata Kirikiri, Huirangi Waikerepuru, and Teariki Mei and offers six week courses six times a year. The school is designed to take in adults who may or may not have any knowledge in Maori and in six weeks make them orally competent. But in doing that the people also learn a great deal about Maori culture. Many things set the Maori language classrooms apart from any others in the polytech and one of the most notable is the atmosphere.

There is a true sense of whanau there, where tutors and pupils mix freely together. Each day tutors and students have a shared lunch using the few cooking facilities. This type of sharing flows over into the learning, and students help each other as much as they can. The students come from government departments, church and other groups and alongside housewives and mothers, tackle the language. The course has even attracted overseas people. One Japanese student came here especially to learn the language after reading Maori literature at university. By teaching adults Maori, the course is playing a vital role in keeping the language alive and it is also promoting better understanding of Maori culture. Plans are under way to build a new marae up in the Polytech complex but until then the little pre-fabs and cracked car park will carry on their part in keeping the Maori language very much alive.

Raewyn Rasch