As we approach Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, I’ve been imagining the sort of place Aotearoa would be if we all spoke te reo Māori.
What a nation we would be.
Imagine if every one of us was fluent or at least conversant in te reo, and used it comfortably and interchangeably in our daily interactions. Families, friend groups and workplaces would dive in and out of English and te reo, depending on the mood and the topic and the wishes of the group.
What a rich nation we would be.
Imagine if no one – Māori, Pākehā or tauiwi – felt uncomfortable speaking te Reo. No one would ridicule it or resent it. No one would have to wonder, will I be understood? Will the person I’m speaking to welcome me using te reo? No one would feel ashamed for not being able to speak or understand the native language of this land, because we would have all learnt it as we grew up – just as we have learnt English.
What a confident nation we would be.
Imagine if – through our understanding of te reo Māori – all people in Aotearoa also had an insight into te Ao Māori, and an appreciation of matauranga Māori. Pākehā would no longer try to claim there is only one world view, or only one kind of science, or only one way of being human – because we would have grown up bi-lingual, and bicultural, in its truest sense, with all the wider world insights that bestows. Our ability to embrace multiculturalism would be enhanced by this richer world view.
What a generous nation we would be.
I’m not imagining a future where there is only one culture. I’m not yearning for a melting pot. I’m not seeking to possess te reo Māori or to recolonise by grabbing a culture whose glimpses I appreciate. In my imagined future Aotearoa, Māori tongues will still perhaps wrap more easily around the beautiful vowels and soft consonants of te reo, and Māori will still hold a deeper connection to their ancestral whakataukī and the intertwining metaphors of te reo, which even the most fluent tauiwi speaker will reach for but possibly never quite grasp. And perhaps for Pākehā New Zealanders, learning and appreciating te reo Māori will give us a deeper understanding of our own ancestral languages and stories, and the ways they are unique, and beautiful, and flawed.
Imagine if we all spoke te reo Māori. What a nation we would be.
Creating Good Change 