Abstract:
Kua eke te hunga kōrero Māori ki tōna 150,000 te rahi i te tau 2013 (Statistics New Zealand). Ahakoa tērā, kāore tonu i te kaha kōrerotia te reo Māori. Kei roto i te whakaora i te reo Māori o nāianei, me whakakōrero i te reo Māori, i tua atu i te whakapiki i te rahi e ako ana i te reo Māori. He reo rua katoa te hunga kōrero Māori. Nā reira, kei te āhua o tō tātou reo ruatanga te ora o te reo Māori. Arā, kei tā tātou kōwhiri i te reo Māori tōna kōrerotanga – tōna nui, tōna iti rānei. Nā reira, kei tā tātou kōwhiri i te reo Māori tōna ora. Ko te pātai nui ia, me pēhea te raweke i ngā kōwhiringa reo a te tangata kia reo Māori?
Hei whakaea i tēnei pātai, me wānanga anō he aha rā ngā kōwhiringa reo a te reo rua Māori? He pēhea tōna whakamahi i ōna reo? He aha ngā āhuatanga e ārahi ana i aua kōwhiringa? Koinei te aronga o tēnei tohu kairangi, e aro ana ki te reo rua Māori, me āna kōwhiringa reo. Ko tāna e whai nei, kia mārama mai tā te reo rua Māori whakamahi i ōna reo: hei āhea kōrerotia ai te reo Māori, mō āhea kōrerotia ai te reo Pākehā, he aha hoki ngā tini āhuatanga e ārahi ana i ēnei kōwhiringa āna. Mā te whakatutuki i ēnei kaupapa e korowaitia mai ai he mahere e whakamārama ana i ētahi o ngā tino ārai e aukati ana i te kōrero Māori me te kōrero Pākehā, me ētahi āhuatanga e tautoko ana i te kōrerotia o aua reo. Ko tōna kitenga nui, mō te reo rua Māori ko te kaupapa nui katoa i roto i te kōwhiri reo, ko te hua o te reo Māori i roto i te whakawhitinga kōrero.
Ko tā tēnei tuhingaroa e takoha atu nei ki te ao rangahau, ko te mahere kōwhiri reo e hangaia ana i runga tonu i ngā wheako o te reo rua Māori. Ko te manako nui, mā te rangahau nei ka hua mai ētahi maramara whakaaro hei āwhina i te reo rua Māori, e reo Māori ai āna mahi, hei hāpai anō i te ora o tēnei reo ō tātou.
