Māori on Mondays the talk of the town

  • 23/10/2016
Manuel Springford and friend (The Hui)
Manuel Springford and friend (The Hui)

A Whangarei man has thought of a unique way to prioritise his Māori language journey in his busy weekly schedule.

Manuel Springford has decided to speak Te Reo on Mondays - wherever he goes, whoever he meets, he'll speak Māori.

Mr Springord told The Hui it's his way to keep his native tongue alive.

"Every day I'm speaking more and more Māori. It's become a habit - I don't say 'hello, how's it going', I'll say 'kia ora bro, pēhea ana koe?' How ya going?"

Mr Springford is committed to Te Reo and now surrounds himself with the language in his day-to-day activities, but it was a different story as a youngster - he didn't even know his grandfather could speak Māori. His initial reason to learn the language was to converse with him, so started his reo journey in 2009.

He started Māori Mondays in May after hearing about Mahuru Māori, another Māori language initiative that encourages people to speak Maori in September.

Mr Springford thought he'd start early and commit to one day a week. He says he wasn't very talkative the first few Mondays.

"When I first started it I was real whakama, and I probably spent the whole day not speaking to anyone."

His commitment to the language has inspired many in his community to give Te Reo a go. His local bakery, the Baker's Crust, has included Te Reo in their business - such as renaming their monthly speciality pies in Māori.

Mr Springford normalises Te Reo in his workplace, at home, everywhere. While Māori Mondays started out as a way for him to korero Māori more often, the ripple effect has been far wider.

He is now being stopped by strangers who are keen to engage and practice their Māori with this reo champion. 

Watch the video for the full story from The Hui.