
09/12/2023
Some people don’t know what the view is like from your side of the room, especially when there isn’t an invitation to find out.
Since the English language has never been taken away from the people wanting to take Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) away from an entire nation, they will never understand the catastrophic impact eliminating Te Reo Māori (and all things established for Māori for that matter) will have, not just on Māori people but on the nation as a whole.
So, rather than cancel them, as they are trying to do to Māori, invite them for a cuppa and a kōrero (chat).
Show them your side of the room.
I have struggled with my identity all my life. Having been brought up to live the “white” way, to believe that all things Māori is for “dumbasses!”, I’ve never felt white enough to be white, nor have I felt brown enough to be Māori.
It took my white friend’s enthusiasm to give me the courage to go into a bilingual unit at school to learn my ancestors language, be it a very basic level.
Learning through my timeline, the stories of my great/grandparents, not being aloud to speak their native tongue in public,
Learning of their names being changed because other people couldn’t pronounce them,
Our last name being cut short because our ancestors did not want us to be known as slaves,
To hear of my aunties being told by their grand/parents to learn any other language accept their own so that they could leave New Zealand for a “better life” elsewhere,
To watch my parents struggle with accepting who they are as Māori, torn between what they were conditioned to believe was right for them and what they felt deep in their bones was right for them,
To then go home last Christmas and witness the advancement in cultural integration in New Zealand was heart warming to say the least.
To see the power of two peoples, coming together as a united force, emanate through other corners of the globe, is a proud moment each time I land in different countries.
I really do wish that the people supporting the removal of New Zealand’s progress take the time to check out the view on our side of the room.
I also hope that Māori, and tangata Tiriti, save a seat at their table, boil the jug and have a cuppa ready to seek understanding.
The sooner we can all understand that “one language” and “one way of living” does not equal “one nation” or “equality” the sooner we can get back to being the most United New Zealand has ever been, which is arguably the most United a nation has ever been in history.
Kōrero pono,
Nga mihi ❤️