Yesterday was the speech finals. The people that are year five to eight made it through to share there speech infront of the school was. Zara,Cooper,Stevie,Niwa,Haylee,Izaiah,Henry,Milly,Ashlyn,Layla,Willa and me. Henry didn’t share his speech. The year five trophy went to Stevie the year six trophy went to Niwa the year seven trophy went to me. And Layla won the year eight trophy. I also won the student choice trophy. I enjoyed listening to all of the speeches. Stevies topic was why the earth would be better without humans. Niwas’s topic was if I was born one hundred years ago and Laylas was why horse riding is cruel. And mine was why te reo Maori should be compulsory in schools. My favorite speech was Willas. Her speech was about her dad. I picked my speech to be about why te reo Maori should be compulsory in schools. Because I love Te reo Maori and I would love to learn how to speak it from my pop who is fluent.
The year one to four kids that made it through were Tasman,Sebbie,Kyla,Whangatauatia,Cooper,Lily,Eva,Luana,Lenox,Ruby,Amy. Sebbie and Tasman won year one trophy. Whangatauatia won the year two trophy. Lily won the year three trophy. Lenox won the year four trophy. Sebbie won the student choice trophy. I liked watching and listening to there speeches this is my speech.
Kia ora,
Ko Kurahaupo te waka
Ko Pohurihanga te Ariki
Ko Maieke te Whaea Kahurangi
Ko Kohuroa A Ngake te Maunga
Ko Whitirea te Moana
ko Parengarenga te Wahaapu
Ko Waitiki te Awa
Ko Te Hapua te Kainga
Ko Te Hiku o Te Ika te Marae atea
Ko Te Reo Mihi te whare Tupuna
Ko Maritu te Urupa
Ko Ngati Kaha te Hapu
Ko Ngati Kuri te Iwi
Ko Milan Linn toku ingoa
Te hei-wa Mauri Ora.
Today I have chosen to speak to you all about my
views on
“Why Te reo maori should be compulsory in schools”.
Maori have been the tangata whenua,
the indigenous people of Aotearoa. Arriving here from
Hawaiki over one thousand years ago.
Did you know that te reo Māori is one of the easiest
languages in the world to learn?
The sounds generally stay the same no matter
how the letters are put together. Te reo Maori
is a beautiful
language that needs to be encouraged in a
positive way more. The maori alphabet only
consists of 10 consonants and 5 vowels.
It has its own unique words and expressions.
New zealand is the only country within a small
group of other countries where children learn
one language in the main stream education
system. Its also the only country where the
indigenous language is only offered as a
study option!
Studies have shown that students who are
bilingual tend to perform better academically.
Maori language education can improve literacy
skills, critical thinking and communication.
By using the Maori language more in New
Zealand schools , it will help persevere and
promote the unique cultural heritage of this
country. By learning the language students gain
a deeper understanding of Maori customs,
traditions and values. Today, there is a
growing recognition of the value and
importance of the maori language in New
Zealand schools. Efforts are being made
to ensure that the maori language and culture
are respected and promoted into our education system.
Within New zealand there are many different
dialects used from words to phrases. For
example a dog to the ngati kuri people is
reffered to as a kirehe but for the people south
of muriwhenua it is called a kuri.
The one thing I truly love about our school is
that Te reo Māori is highly encouraged by
our teachers. Every morning to start our day
we do our morning karakia, Kai karakia before
we eat and our end of day with a closing karakia.
We also play maori games, waiata, and kapa haka.
At the beginning of the term two we were given the
opportunity to attend Te Ahurea o Te Tai Tokerau
at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa. We got to watch kapa haka,
eat yummy kai, perform haka tautoko for other schools
but most of all be proud to be maori. Nga mihi
Whaea Emma and Whaea Te rina for this day it was
definitely a highlight for me in 2023.
I do think we could benefit from more Marae
visits, day trips to significant places of te rarawa
to learn stories about the people and Whanau who
lived here before us. Even organising a visit to sit
and korero with our local kaumatua and kuia would
help us gain alot of wisdom & knowledge.
I’m very fortunate to learn Māori at home from
my grandfather. He grew up with te reo maori being
his first language and the only language he was
to speak when he was at home or with his whanau.
Unfortunately for him and many other maori
people when attending school or other social events
this was not an option. They were forced to
speak english within school grounds otherwise
they were given the cane or punished in other ways.
He has taught me my whakapapa, stories
and also significant place names for the
ngati kuri, Te rarawa and Ngati kahu area.
I hope to be a staunch leader and fluent
speaker in te reo Māori for my Whanau
and my iwi as my grandfather is for us.
He is a real inspiration to me!
To wrap up my speech i know learning a new
language might sound a bit scary or difficult
for some but we can all start with the basic
words and phrases. It can help us understand
and respect different cultures, communicate better and it’s fun!
Ko tooku tumanako kia whakako-hia te reo
maori ki roto i wa tatou kura i nga wa katoa i roto
i te rohe o te hiku o te ika.