Last year for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Mike McRoberts shared his own personal journey of learning Te Reo with his documentary 'Kia ora, Good evening'.
Since then, he’s embarked on a year of full-time, full-immersion study at Te Wānanga Takiura in Tāmaki Makaurau.
"Kia ora Mike, kōrero mai, kei te pehea koe i roto i tō haerenga?" i pātai atu a Samantha Hayes, kaikawe kōrero mō Newshub Live at 6pm.
"Hello Mike, tell us, how have you fared on your language journey?" asked Samantha Hayes, McRoberts' co-presenter on Newshub Live at 6pm.
Tēnā koe, Sam.
Hello there Sam.
Me kī pēnei, he nui ngā wero, engari he nui kē atu ngā hua.
Put it this way, there've been many challenges, but there have been many more benefits.
Ko te hua matua, ko te ora.
The biggest is feeling revived.
Kua whakakiia tōku ngākau ki ngā taonga o te reo, me te ao Māori.
There's a part of me that was once empty, now filled with knowledge of the Māori language, culture, and worldview.
I ngā rā o mua, kua āhua āwangawanga ahau ki te kōrero 'Kia ora, good evening', mēnā kei te hē taku whakahua.
I used to get anxiety about even saying 'Kia ora, good evening' in case I got it wrong.
I tīmata ahau i tēnei tau, kāore i te mōhio ki te reo Māori.
I started this year not knowing te reo Māori.
Ko te reo Pākehā anake taku reo.
English was my only language.
Ahakoa ngā wero, e ako ana ahau i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
Despite the challenges, I am now learning te reo and tikanga Māori.
Ki konei, ki Te Wānanga Takiura o ngā Kura Kaupapa o Aotearoa, ka ako mātou i ngā āhuatanga katoa o Te Ao Māori.
Here, at Te Wānanga Takiura o Kura Kaupapa o Aotearoa, we learn all aspects of the Māori world.
Ehara noa iho ko te ako kupu, engari ko te mārama hoki ki ā rātou tikanga.
It's not just learning words, but learning what they mean and why we use them.
"He āwhina ki te mārama ki ō tātou tikanga, ehara i te mea ka haere kotahi te reo. Ko te wairua Māori, whakaaro Māori, tikanga Māori, hinengaro Māori, ngākau Māori - ērā mea katoa," e ai ki a Piripi Houia, he kaiako kei Te Wānanga Takiura.
"It's to support understanding of who we are. The language isn't isolated all by itself. It's all things spiritual, theoretical, conventional, cognitive, and soulful," said Piripi Houisa, a kaiako (teacher) at Te Wānanga Taikura.
Ia marama, me tuku mātou i tētahi whakapuaki, he kōrero i roto i Te Reo Māori mō ngā kaupapa maha. Hei tauira, he kōrero mō mātou anō.
Every month, we stand in class to make a speech in Te Reo Māori about various topics. For example, a story about ourselves.
"Ko aku tukemata he taonga no toku tupuna Kahungunu," hei tauira.
"My eyebrows are a gift from my ancestor, Kahungunu," as an example.
He ara ako angitū nō tēnei wānanga e mōhiotia whānuitia ana.
It's a successful learning path this school is renowned for.
Tokomaha ngā ākonga kua āwhinatia ki te whakatinana i ō rātou wawata kia kōrero Māori.
It's helped hundreds of people realise their dream to speak Māori.
"He tino ataahua tenei haerenga i tō taha, i tō mātou taha, āe, haere tonu," ka kī atu a Portia Wehi, ākonga o Te Wānanga.
"This journey by your side, by our side, is truly beautiful, yes, keep going," said Portia Wehi, a student at Te Wānanga.
Āpāia, nā te angitū o tēnei wānanga, he rārangi tatari roa.
Of course, with that kind of success, there's a long waiting list.
"Āe, he nui Mike. Ko te nui o ngā tauira ka taea ki roto i te rūmaki reo ko te 144. Engari, neke atu i te 200 ngā tāngata e hiahia ana ki te kuhu mai," ka mea atu a Tāwhirimātea Williams, ko te pou o Te Wānanga.
"Yes, there's a lot, Mike. The amount of students we can take for the rūmaki (immersion) unit is 144, but there are more than 200 who want to come in," said Tāwhirimātea Williams, the pou at Te Wānanga.
Ko Papa Tāwhiri rāua ko Nanny Kaa Williams ngā poutokomanawa mō ngā ākonga e maha, i ngā tau e maha.
Tāwhirimātea and Kaa Williams have been the inspiration for many students over the years.
He aroha mutunga kore nō rāua ki te whakaako i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
And the two have an endless love for teaching the Māori language and culture.
I te wiki kua pahure, ka whakanuia rāua mō tō rāua oha nui ki te ao Māori.
Last week, they were honoured for their huge contribution to the Māori world.
Waimarie au i tō rāua ārahitanga me te tautoko o taku akomanga.
I'm lucky to learn under their guidance and to be supported by my class.
Ko te whakakipakipa, ko te whakakoakoa e korowai nei i a au
I'm surrounded by encouragement and enjoyment.
Kāore he otinga ki tēnei huarahi e whakahokia mai ai tōku arero tīpuna me tōku ahurea ki ahau.
Making this journey to reclaim my language and culture one without no end.
