AUT South Campus to host more Te Reo Māori classes
AUT’s Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development - Te Ara Poutama – has expanded its te reo Māori offering at the AUT South Campus in Manukau for 2016.
Along with the Introduction to Conversational Māori classes held during the summer school period and in semester two, the Te Kākano Māori Language 1 and 2 classes are open to anyone wanting to pick up basic oral and written proficiency of the language.
The lessons will continue to follow themes which will reinforce grammar and vocabulary, and will build on the skills of those learners who already have a basic introductory level of proficiency in te reo Māori.
Statistics NZ report that in 2013, only 55 per cent of Māori adults were able to speak more than a few words of phrases in te reo Māori.
Dean of Te Ara Poutama, and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Māori Advancement and Learning & Teaching, Professor Pare Keiha says the faculty is looking forward to seeing more of the local Manukau community at these zero fees classes at AUT’s South Campus.
“Te Ara Poutama is committed to ensuring our indigenous language te reo Māori continues to be understood and spoken for many, many generations to come and it is our key aim to support and encourage, as best as we can, learners in their journey towards greater proficiency in te reo Māori.”
“For this reason, we are offering the Introduction to Conversational Māori classes, and the Te Kākano 1 and 2 classes at no cost to both domestic and international students,” says Professor Keiha.
The classes will use Te Whanake, a te reo Māori digital language resource developed by Te Ipukarea – The National Maori Language Institute at AUT, which brings together a set of textbooks, study guides, CDs, teachers' manuals and a dictionary for learning and teaching te reo Māori.
Classes will be held on campus from 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday over the course of the semester to allow more flexibility for interested participants to attend.
Interested students can enrol by applying online at https://register.aut.ac.nz/ under the programme code: AKCOP Certificate of Proficiency. For further information, please contact studentcentre@aut.ac.nz | 0800 AUT UNI (0800 288 864).
International students may incur some fees related to visa requirements.
Māori language in New Zealand
Results of the Te Kupenga survey carried out by Statistics NZ show that in 2013 an estimated 257,500 (55 per cent) Māori aged 15+ self-report an ability to speak te reo Māori, defined as more than a few words or phrases of the language.
This compares to the results of the Te Puni Kokiri survey on the health of Māori language in 2001 which found 153,500 (42 percent) Māori adults reported some ability to speak te reo Māori.
· 257,500 (55 per cent) Māori adults had some ability to speak te reo Māori; that is, they were able to speak more than a few words or phrases in the language. This compares with 153,500 (42 per cent) in 2001.
· 50,000 (11 percent) Māori adults could speak te reo Māori very well or well; that is, they could speak about almost anything or many things in Māori.
· Between 2001 and 2013 there was a large increase in the proportion of younger Māori who reported some ability to speak te reo Māori.
· 164,500 (35 percent) Māori adults reported speaking some te reo Māori within the home.
Source: Te Kupenga survey, Statistics New Zealand