Kia kaha te korero maori, kia ora ai te reo

Tu Tangata, Issue 18, 1 June 1984, Page 14

Kia kaha te korero maori, kia ora ai te reo

After more than fifty years as a private Catholic boarding school for maori boys, Hato Petera College in Northcote, Auckland, was integrated into the state education system in 1981. As a condition of the integration agreement, the special character of Hato Petera is guaranteed. This special character is that the school is both Catholic and maori. The Board of the College sees these characteristics as interdependent and selfreinforcing. From this perspective, the college can be seen as having four aspects or sides to its character.

Taha Whakapono the religious side Taha Matauranga the learning side Taha Maori the community side Taha Whanaungatanga the family side On all four sides, we are concerned with the pursuit of excellence, and while we may be pleased with the way that our boys develop while at the college, and afterwards, none of us is complacent and none of us is completely satisfied that we are doing as well as we can. We feel it is important that Hato Petera provide an example for others to consider and perhaps emulate. We see the college as having a very special role to play in New Zealand education, along with the other six maori schools (Queen Victoria, St Stephen’s, Turakina, Hato Paora, Te Aute and Hato Hohepa). These seven schools between them have less than five per cent of maori secondary school pupils but serve the maori world, far beyond this small proportion. Our expupils are prominant as able and committed workers, leaders and thinkers throughout all the tribes of Aotehroa and Te Wai Pounamu. Despite this relative success, we, like most maori, are gravely troubled about the future of our society, our culture and our language in the face of massive pressure to assimilate to pakehatanga (Western civilization). It was this deep concern about our future as a people that led to the language development programme that we propose. Over the last thirty years, use of the maori language at Hato Petera has declined from being the language of communication

amongst the boys and their teachers, to being an academic subject to be studied. The health of this subject is determined more by the academic syllabuses and examination success than by its use in everyday life. These are changes that have mirrored changes in other schools and in the world outside too. Nowadays, as before, all of the boys study maori at all levels, and although their School Certificate, University Entrance and Bursary results are laudable, they are not reaching or maintaining any degree of oral fluency. Despite the best intentions of the staff, and the boys themselves, the language is dying before our ears. We had to do something to halt this. In July 1983, the board heard a proposal that in 1986, Hato Petera would begin a total immersion programme in maori. This proposal is outlined below.

He Korero Taki The Proposal I roto i te rau tau, kua pahemo ake nei ko te reo maori, i tona wa, ko te reo ake o tenei whenua me ona iwi. I enei ra kua kore i korerotia tenei reo i nga wa katoa. Kare hoki i te noho hei reo mo nga mahi ate ture mete kawanatanga. Kaore i te whakahetia te korero kei te nui te aroha i Aotearoa nei me Te Wai Pounamu kohi, kite whakakaha, kite pupuri i te reo maori. Engari tae mai ki tena wa itiiti noa iho nga mahi kua oti hei whakatutuki i tenei aroha. Huri noa i nga motu e rua kei te iti haere te hunga korero maori, a, ko te hunga reorua kei te kite kua iti ake nga wa e korero maori ai ratou.

Te Take Atu i te tau 1986, ko nga akonga o te tau tuatahi ka whakaakona noa ihotia kite reo maori. I te kura, me to ratou wahi noho, ko te reo whakaako i a ratou a ko te reo korerorero noa iho i waenga i a ratou ko te reo maori. E taea ai tenei me titiro ano nga kaiwhakaako me nga kaupapa e whakaakona ana, engari e ai ki nga kura penei o tawahi ka taea enei momo mahi i te wa e pakeke haere ana te tamaiti a tangata noa.

Na te mea, he ahua roa tonu te wa katahi ano ka matatau nga akonga kite korero kite whakaputa ranei i o ratou whakaro kite reo maori, ko etahi kaupapa ka whakaakona tonutia kite reo pakeha. Ko etahi ano penei i te reo i te waiata, nga mahi a te hahi, ka taea era kite reo maori mai ite timatatanga o te tau. E pai ai tenei mahi me tiki ano etahi kaiwhakaako e tino mohio ana ki te korero maori.

I te wahi noho me whakanui ake nga kaitiaki. Ko enei tangata me matua korero maori ranei me tuku ranei kia ako kite korero maori. Ite tau 1987, ka penei ano te whakaako i nga tamatane e kuhu mai ana kite kura.

Nga Hua Ka Puta Mai i Tenei Mahi Nui

Tae rawa kite tau 1990, kua reorua katoa te kura a kua tutuki te whakaaro whakaputa tamatane kite ao e kaika ana e hihiko ana kite whakaki i nga turanga o te ao nui. E whakapono ana ahau ka taea tenei taumata ahakoa te whakaporearea, te takahuri ranei i te ahua o ta tatou whakaako, o ta tatou noho. Me tino whakapono nga kaiwhakako katoa ki tenei kaupapa, tae atu ki nga mema o te poari, nga matua, mete ao maori o te Hahi Katorika. Ka

nui te heke o te werawera, te raruraru, mete pouri nui, a, me whakawa ano nga mahi nei i a tatou e mahi ana. Nga Whiriwhiri Whanui E whakatakoto ana ahau i tenei take ki te aroaro o te poari hei tauira whiriwhiri ma tatou. E pirangi ana ahau kia whakaaetia mai e te poari tenei take, a kia whiriwhiritia i te kura nei i waenga i te hunga Katorika maori a puta noa i te ao maori. Ko taku tumanako ka whiriwhiritia nuitia a tona wa ka whakaaetia e tatou hei whakakaha i te taha maori o ta tatou kura. Kei te nui te wa hei whiriwhiritanga ma tatou i te take nei, ka whakauru mai ai i te tau 1986 mehemea e whakaae ana tatou he mea pai i roto i tenei tau e tu mai nei.

Introduction Over the last century the maori language, once the first language of our country and people, has been relegated to a minor position both in official circles and in everyday life. While there is no doubt that much goodwill exists in New Zealand towards the retention and strengthening of maori language use and learning, until now there have been few effective schemes to bring this about. All around us the number of maori language users continues to decline, and those of us who are bilingual find ourselves using maori on fewer and fewer occasions. Objectives It is my view that the decline of the maori language parallels a decline of

maori society generally, and both are deplored by the maori people generally. I feel that we must act positively to reverse these trends. I propose therefore that here at Hato Petera, we embark upon a programme aimed at reversing this process. The ultimate objective is to put the maori language back into the school as an equal partner with English, and to change the school from its present character as a Catholic school for maori boys to be a Catholic maori school for boys. That is to move the emphasis away from it being another school for maoris to being a maori school for maoris.

Our Responsibility

If we, as a people, want our langauge to survive and to flourish into the 21st century, then we must be much more active in promoting its use. We cannot sit back and expect other schools, especially the state schools, to carry the burden of maori language learning and to produce maori speakers for the future, unless we are able to show the way. If we cannot make the commitment here at Hato Petera, we can hardly expect any other schools to do it for us.

The Proposal

From 1986, the third form intake will be totally immersed in maori. Both in the hostel and in the school, the language of instruction and of communication generally will be maori. This will mean major rearrangements of staff and of the curriculum, but as has been shown overseas, total immersion programmes can work at adolescent and adult level. Until the boys become proficient speakers and thinkers in maori, their instruction in some subjects such as mathematics, general science and technical drawing, will have to be deferred. Subject areas such as language, social studies, physical education, Christian living, music and art, and horticulture, can be taught in maori from the start of the year. The programme will involve the hiring of at least one and probably

two additional teachers who are nativespeakers of maori.

In the hostel, the junior dormitory staff will need to be strengthened numerically and either replaced by maori speakers or the current staff given the opportunity between now and 1986, to become proficient maori speakers. In the following year, 1987, a further intake of boys at third form will undergo the same total immersion programme. The 1986 intake, now in their fourth form year, will continue to have some subjects taught in maori and the others, especially science and mathematics, will be taught in English. The newly acquired maori language skills of the fourth form, and other proficient maori speakers in the school, will be used as additional resources for maori language acquisition in the junior school. I feel confident that we will be able to draw heavily upon community resources for this programme, and that the goodwill that exists in the school and the community at large will manifest itself in help to attain these goals.

There is little doubt that the first year will be the most difficult, but provided the parents are fully informed of the language objectives, before their sons are accepted at Hato Petera, then all the difficulties will be within the school and therefore manageable.

Results Through Hard Work

By 1990, the whole school will be bilingual and the objective of producing young maori men who are willing and able to take their places in our community will be achieved. I feel confident that we can reach this goal, although to do so will involve us in much disruption of our present pattern of learning, and much reorganisation of our teaching resources. It will involve a total commitment to the objectives by all the staff, all the board members and all the parents, indeed of all of the Catholic maori community at large. It will involve a great deal of work, many pitfalls and many disappointments, and a continual reappraisal of our efforts as we progress.

I am also confident that the standard of education in other subject areas need not suffer because of this plan. Indeed, I feel sure that the greater emphasis on maori will enhance the school in the eyes of the community, and will ensure that our boys will leave school better qualified overall and much more self-assured and confident to - fill the adult roles that society requires of them. We need not fear that the boys’ English will suffer: evidence both here and overseas points conclusively towards second language learning helping in the use and understanding of the first language.

Widespread Discussion

I present this proposal to the board as a draft plan for discussion. I would like

the board to accept it as a draft proposal and to commit it to widespread discussion both within the school, in the Catholic maori communion, and in maori communities generally. I hope for widespread discussion, and its eventual adoption and endorsement as the school’s commitment to the development of the maori side of our character. We have enough time to discuss this proposal fully and to implement it by 1986 if we are prepared to make the commitment and accept it within the next twelve months.

Progress to Date

This language development proposal was presented to the board in July, 1983. It was discussed at that and subsequent board meetings, and by the staff in the school. In December 1983, a discussion paper was presented on the proposal by a subcommittee of the board, convened by Victor Mokaraka. This discussion paper outlined how the parents, teachers, old-boys and church authorities should be appraised of our proposal and it presented a timetable for action. In December 1983, this discussion paper was approved by the board and is now being considered by our people on their many marae, in their homes and at their workplaces. It is the board’s wish that when a decision is made later this year to go ahead with a total immersion programme in 1986, all interested people and organisations will have had time to consider it and its consequences.

So far, the initial proposal and the discussion paper have been received favourably, and in respect of parents and old-boys, very enthusiastically. Perhaps you might argue that it is an idea that has been around for a long while and its time has finally come. Whether that is so or not is not important. What is important is that within the college, and at other colleges such as Queen Victoria and McKillop (Rotorua) similar proposals are being considered and will get underway.

As the initiator of the proposal, and a parent’s representative on the board, I feel confident that our community will come in behind us and support our endeavours. I look forward to the next few years with great enthusiasm. I am confident that our immersion programme will get underway in 1986, and that by 1990, the whole school will be maori speaking. To me that is an exciting prospect, and a condition that has not existed at Hato Petera for more than forty years.

Ki a au nei, ko te reo rangatira, te waiu o ta tatou maoritanga. E tatou e takatu nei hei painga mo a tatou rangatahi, tena ra tatou katoa.

E. M. K. Douglas Centre for Maori Studies and Research, University of Waikato.