CANTA ISSUE 10, 2022

canta. AOTEAROA ISSUE

12.09.22

‘Photo credit to Sierra Anderson - 31/25 Photography’

Emily Hey ward

Ella Gibson -

Graphic Designer

Kyle Paget

News Editor

Alex Car ter -

Feature Writers

Stella Cheersmith

Leo He

Matthew Caro

Maddy Croad

Digital Editor

Hannah Perr y-Purchas

Video Creative Director

Tom Murray

Video and Digital Assistant

Imy Rice

Audio Editor

Ben O’Connell

Contributors

Rosa Hibbe rt -Schooner

Te Ak atoki exec

Sierra Anderson (cover photography)

Ri ver Jayden

Sarah Eynon

Imogen McRa e

Jess Collins

BREAKING LIVE NEWS Editorial

Nau mai, haere mai, welcome back to campus!

How are we in term four!? The year has certainly flown by – although, I’m not going to lie, it did stop for a bit as I watched everyone I know board a plane to Europe. It would be fine if people just went to Europe and did their thing but they gotta let everyone else know they are in Europe, twelve times a day. Rub salt in the wound while I’m stuck at home doing assignments, yeah? Anyway, I feel better now knowing that the academic year is almost over and summer is right on our doorstep.

This issue of CANTA pays homage to this beautiful land – Aotearoa. In these pages, you will find stories about kapa haka, the Te Reo Māori petition which was presented to parliament 50 years ago, and a kōrero about hākinakina (sports) and hauora (wellbeing). This issue is a collaboration with the wonderful Te Akatoki Māori Students’ Association.

A big mihi goes out to Te Akatoki tumuaki Rosa Hibbert-Schooner for all her mahi in making this issue what it is. A big mihi also goes out to all those who contributed to this issue, whether that was having a kōrero with our writers, contributing art, or sharing time and knowledge – thank you. A special shout out to Sierra Anderson for her beautiful photography which is sprinkled throughout this issue and on the COVER!

I hope you enjoy this issue. Wishing you all the best for this term. Take care of yourself, check in with your mates and remember that all things pass in time.

Aroha nui and happy Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

Ella Gibson (she/her) Emily Heyward (she/her)

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STUDENT ASSAULTED AND CALLED RACIAL SLURS NEAR CAMPUS: “IT’S THE DARKEST TIME OF MY LIFE”

Emily Heyward (she/her)

An international student was punched in the head with a beer bottle and called racial slurs on Ilam Rd last month.

The engineering student – who did not want his name published – was biking home from a friend’s place around 10pm on a Saturday night when two people approached him and started harassing him.

“One of the guys just smashed a beer around me. All of a sudden it started a fight.

“These two guys are saying all these bad racist slurs… they spit on me and they push me.”

He said the assault, which happened on the footpath next to Ilam Fields, lasted about 20 minutes.

“I never imagined this thing could happen… It’s not safe. It shouldn’t happen anywhere but especially on campus,” he said.

He suffered neck and chest pain, and said he was fortunate to have been wearing his helmet when the assault happened.

The student, who returned to campus last year after getting stuck in China at the start of the pandemic, said the incident has had a severe impact on his wellbeing.

“I’ve been through all this pandemic, stuck in China…Right now I’m still fighting, just new stuff and something more terrible.”

He had been given medication to help him sleep but said the incident had left him shaken and unable to concentrate on his uni work.

“It’s the darkest time in my life… It’s so overwhelming.”

The assault had made him reflect on whether he wanted to stay at UC and continue living in New Zealand.

“Is Christchurch even worth it, or maybe is it NZ? Is it all like this? It’s keeping me rethinking the bigger picture. How they manage and handle these things, how people treat me.”

He was getting support from counsellors at the UC Health Centre, as well as support from the UCSA student care team, but wanted to see UC do more to ensure this type of incident didn’t happen again.

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He said he would like to see UC Security be more present on and around campus, and suggested more cameras be installed so that any incident is captured.

“I was fortunate, because I was biking, I had a helmet on but imagine if you didn’t have a helmet on or imagine if I wasn’t as strong to defend myself.”

A UC spokesperson told CANTA it could not comment on an ongoing Police investigation but said UC staff had offered the student support.

“The UC Security team supported the student to file a Police report. UC Student Care also supported the student after the incident over the weekend and offered ongoing help.”

The spokesperson said criminal activity on any UC campus should be reported to Police.

Are international students being targeted?

Meanwhile, candidates running for International Representative on the UCSA 2023 exec had their campaign signs knocked down on campus during last month’s election campaign.

UCSA president Pierce Crowley said the UCSA “stand against racism, and are always seeking to advocate for improved support and security for international students”.

Speaking to the assault of the international student and the targeting of international representative candidates’ signs, Crowley said the UCSA “condemn both incidents on campus and in the areas surrounding campus”.

“Since the incidents, I have been in contact with the university and the Vice-Chancellor to seek assurances that any student who acts or condones racism would be held fully accountable. This assurance was given.

“Further, we are continuing to work with the university, the NZISA, and all impacted parties to coordinate a more thorough response from a student perspective in the near future,” Crowley said.

A UC spokesperson said, “The University of Canterbury is committed to fostering diversity and equity on campus and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or racist behaviour. We have a range of processes in place to address instances of racism, sexism or other discrimination on campus.”

UC Security provides campus monitoring and support for students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Security can be contacted by calling an 0800 number or via the many help towers (which include cameras) around both Ilam and Dovedale campuses. UC Security staff are also able to accompany students to their car or walk with them through the campus, if required.

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MUSOC’S THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL: BACK FROM THE DEAD

Alex Carter (she/her)

“Normal is an illusion darling, what is normal for a spider is a calamity for a fly,” Morticia Addams.

MUSOC is the Musical Theatre Society here at the University of Canterbury, known for the quality community theatre shows it produces each year.

In 2021 the company planned to put on a production of The Addams Family, but had to cancel it due to the COVID-19 lockdown disrupting rehearsal time and indoor person capacity of the theatre.

Directors Angus Howat (he/him) and Bonnie Bonnar (she/they) discussed the troubles of theatre during the pandemic, saying rehearsing via Zoom was not the vibe.

“Zoom rehearsals are very isolating and heart breaking to be a part of, as you are trying to perform but you are just alone in your room.”

The company has now decided to reinstate the show after a year of waiting and many discussions within the club, with the added bonus of the theatre now accepting full capacity seating.

The directors are over the moon but have had to fill in many roles that were left vacant from the previous participants who couldn’t be a part of their 2022 season for different reasons.

Being part of a new show and environment can be daunting, but new members have been welcomed with open arms.

“It’s been so welcoming, and I have loved being a part of the new show,” new marketing manager Jessie Rumbold (she/her) said.

“The club has had to mature and grow since the cancelation of the first show,” director Angus Howat explained.

The club went away for a production camp for a weekend of rehearsals and antics in mid-August and performed their first run of the show to the production team, where a sigh of relief was felt for many of the original members.

“It was a breath of fresh air watching the full show at camp, and many tears were shed,” director Bonnie Bonnar explained.

“The last time we saw the show was when the original team got together to say goodbye,” they said.

Claudia Crosland (she/her), the club president for 2022, said that there are contingency plans set in place, should COVID cases continue to rise and the show face more COVID-related difficulties, such as cast and crew members falling ill during the show season.

Tickets are available for the upcoming September performances on the MUSOC website.

FAKE UCSA NOTICEBOARD

TUMUAKI PIECE

Rosa Hibbert-Schooner (she/her)

Ka eke te wīwī, ka eke te wāwā, ka eke rā i a Maunga-nui hei taioreoretanga mōu. Kia perea rā e kanohi ki ngā tairō a Tūtekoropanga, inā te nui, inā hoki rā te uaua, engari rā ia i ea i a koutou ngā tairo rā, me te kōrero “kaua rā mā te waewae tūtuki engari mā te upoko pakaru”. Nā reira kei ngā maunga kōrero, ngā maunga whakahī, ngā toka tū i te ao i te pō nei rā ngā kupu mihi ka ūhia ki runga ki a koutou ngā tauira o Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha nei, mō koutou i eke, mō koutou i tae ki te taioreore o maunga teitei, o Aoraki e tū mai rā! Ngā tokānuku o te apōpō, ngā rangatira o te rā nei,ngā tauira mō mātou e whanga tonu ana, ka mihi rā!

Ko wai au e tū āna i tenei ata?

He uri tenei no Te Arawa, No Ngāti whakaae

Ko Rosa Hibbert-Schooner tōku ingoa

Ko au te tumuaki o Te Akatoki

It is my greatest pleasure and honor to stand on behalf of Te Akatoki and congratulate our amazing talented Graduates.

Now although it has taken quite some time to get to this day of honoring your hard work, we know that your difference has already been felt and legacy left both here at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha but also in the hāpori. I see friends, I see whānau, I see leaders of our community, I see the future of our nation right here in our graduate crowd.

Today we honor each and every one of you. We honor the late nights, the sleepless nights, the v cans, the coffees and we know they were lots, the working two jobs just to study, the late night “you done your essay yet’ texts and the ‘nah how about you’ replies, we honor the sacrifice, the dedication, the tears, the sweat and quite literally the entire journey of being a student. Being a student is full of low lows and high highs and I hope today, finally, you have seen this work come to fruition. COVID we know has changed your student experience significantly, but yet this was another obstacle that each and everyone of you overcame and to me that shows the resilience and passion of our Māori students.

We also honour the communities, whānau, tamariki that wrap around these people. Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu!

Upon Tāwhaki nui a Hema ascent to retrieve ngā kete matauranga, armed with his toki - He toki ngao pae ki te ao marama, stems the name of our UC māori students home away from home arā Ko Te Akatoki.

In a city that can often feel foreign to māori rangatahi, the whanaungatanga and drive for each other's success can be seen in your achievements. Like Tawhaki, you all have ascended into your own pathways of enlightenment no matter what course or kaupapa you have taken. Nā reira, you are reflected in te Akatoki, our story, our whānau and whare mō ake tonu atu. This is your home and will always be and we ask that you remember us when you're famous or that whenever you need tautoko that you return to us where we will be waiting with open arms. Thank you for allowing the fires of our whare and our kaupapa to burn during your time here at UC.

I finish with this, being Maori is a korowai worn and looking different on every single one of us. For some it is waking up, going to Kura and being the only maori child in your class.

For some it is going to kohanga and Kura kaupapa.

For some it means studying te reo maori and indigenous studies in high school and uni.

For some it means working in all different paths and bringing your indigenous knowledge with you.

For some it means teaching your kids te reo at home.

For some it means being a te reo teacher.

For some it means showing manaaki to everyone who comes into your home.

For some it is contributing to protests and marches for indigenous rights.

For some it is being able to speak te reo maori

For some it is learning to speak te reo.

For some it is performing kapa haka.

For some it means having a family.

For some it means becoming an engineer, a scientist, a researcher, a coach, a teacher, a historian, a knowledge sharer, a manager, a leader, a server.

But for all, it means making your difference in your community to your people, your tipuna and your aspirations.

This is the position each and everyone of our amazing graduates today has taken! You each bring such unique and essential points of difference that are serving us as Māori in all the different pathways you have taken, for that we thank you and we support you mo ake tonu atu.

Being Maori is a korowai worn and looking different on every single one of us. Although the way we wear our cloaks of maoritanga are different, the way we look and act are not always the same. For all of us we are Maori, in our blood, in our soul and in the wisdom we have learnt from our tipuna. For all of us, it is our responsibility to represent our cloaks of maoritanga for the world to see and the younger generations to look up to. Wear your korowai of who you are and wear it with the pride of your ancestors, yourself and your mokopuna.

Nā reira, Ki a koutou ngā tauira e potae ana i te rā nei, hoki mai ki a koutou, mā te wā!

Eke panuku, Eke tangaroa

Tēnā rā tātou katoa

KA PA HAK A

Stella Cheersmith (she/her)

At 5:30 on Wednesday evening I arrive at Te Whare Ākonga o te Akatoki for my first experience of Kapa Haka. I’ve only ever seen performances before, so rehearsals will be a slightly different environment. I’m a bit nervous, mainly because there’s been a mix up with venues and I’m running a little late. Luckily, I make it just before the rehearsal begins and Te Akatoki’s president, Rosa Hibbert-Schooner, welcomes me into the whare. Everyone forms a circle for introductions and a vocal warmup led by Hora who comes in each week from Te Pao Tahi, a Kapa Haka organisation outside of UC. She pushes the kapa (group) to increase the volume until their voices resonate through the space.

Once the vocal chords are warmed up they get the projector out and start learning the kupu (words) for the haka they’re working on. It’s called Te Haka a Māui Pōtiki and it tells the story of the demigod Māui’s different journeys through Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne). Rosa tells me that the kapa are preparing for Kaapuia, a competition coming up in October. About 30 performers will travel to Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) to compete against other Māori students, as well as socialise and even play a bit of sport. This is the first time Te Akatoki has sent students to this event, though they’ve taken part in other kapa haka competitions in the past.

During a break Rosa introduces me to Paige and DJ, two of the performers. DJ is a first year Law student who has been living overseas until recently; now that she’s back in Aotearoa, kapa haka has helped her to reconnect with her ancestors and engage with the Māori community in Ōtautahi and at UC. For Paige, kapa haka has always been a way for her to connect with her culture, which she first discovered when taking part as a kid in the kapa haka that was compulsory at her bilingual primary school.

It’s clear that this concept of connection is really important to both Paige and DJ, and they teach me about whakawhanaungatanga, which means the process of making connections or forming relationships. Kapa haka can form these connections because it becomes a kind of universal language between iwi (tribes), but also across cultures through the love of song and dance. Paige describes it as “a feeling, just wanting to sing. Even if you don’t know the words or you don’t fully understand them, you still feel it.” DJ sees this too in her kids, who she sometimes brings to watch kapa haka rehearsals. Though they grew up in Fiji, both are desperate to join in and perform.

After the break, the group splits into men and women, and Hora teaches the women some choreography for poi. Rosa explains that the waiata (song) they’re learning, E Aku Poi, is about wahine (women) finding strength in the stories of the Māori gods, specifically female gods like Hineahuone (the first woman) and Hinetītama (the goddess of death). Pūkenga is mentioned a lot in this waiata, meaning skills or expertise, and this is where wahine can find guidance from their leaders. Rosa tells me that their kapa haka is often a mixture of traditional songs – like E Aku Poi – and modern waiata, often composed by the students themselves. One that they are currently practising is called Hoki Wairehe Mai, which translates to “return to me wirelessly”. It’s about loving someone during COVID, complete with fake sneezes to punctuate parts of the song. It’s also an absolute tune – a perfect blend of humorous and a little melancholy.

By 8pm, it’s time to run through everything the kapa has practised today, before moving through to the kitchen for some well-earned kai. Rosa asks me to stay for the meal, and while we eat I get chatting with Zoë. She’s in her fourth year of a double degree but only joined the kapa haka with Te Akatoki at the start of this year. Zoë hoped to improve her pronunciation of Te Reo Māori as well as find a new group of friends to socialise and hang with. If the welcome I received is anything to go by, I’m sure Zoë has found a supportive and kind community here. I leave the whare full of good food and good chats, and humming Hoki Wairehe Mai all the way home.

Ngā mihi nui to Rosa and everyone at Te Whare Ākonga o te Akatoki for your generosity and warmth, for sharing your kai and your pūkenga, and for your incredible kapa haka. And good luck for the upcoming competition!

tokenism within the University

Disclaimer: This is not representative of the whole Māori and Pasifika population at the university, just the students who have shared their experience. The writer is also Pākehā and is conveying the issues raised by the students.

Tokenism of culture happens when non-indigenous people exhibit part of indigenous culture that appeal to the nature of the event or advertisement to only to meet social requirements. This means a whole culture is not represented, but only specific aspects that meet the criteria of the bare minimum.

Some students sat down with Alex Carter to share their thoughts and experiences surrounding tokenism at UC.

Maddisen Andersen (she/her) is a second-year graphics design major within the Fine Arts facility. She believes the department and media tokenize Māori culture. From nit-picking specific designs just to tick a few boxes, to lecturers ill-equipped to teaching indigenous knowledge.

“Being tokenized makes me seem as exotic and put on a pedestal” Maddison Anderson shares

Maddisen explained that “if you hire ethnic lecturers to help cover content correctly to students, this would be a step forward in the right direction, or even giving the lecturers tutorials in which, they learn how to pronounce Te Reo Māori words correctly.”

Although times are slowly progressing, there are still some people who do not understand the notion to decolonize the nation and through misinformation and tokenism of indigenous culture, especially within a university setting, students have shared.

Paige Columbus (she/her) is a first year BA student majoring in Te Reo Māori and minoring in Māori and Indigenous studies, and Katia Poharama (he/she/ they) is doing a Masters of Speech and Language Pathology with clinical interest in second language acquisition in Te Reo Māori language after finishing their undergraduate in Otago.

Katia explained that that one of the students in their class corrected Katia’s Te Reo dialect in a peer reviewed assignment.

Alex Carter (she/her)

“The student shared that it was quite a drastic mistake to make when you’re trying to be a cultured therapist. I’m from the Far North in an isolated region, of course my dialect is going to be different, but that doesn’t mean it’s incorrect.”

Both Katia and Paige teach Mihimihi and Pepeha to students to help prepare them for interviews but have found people only want to learn the mihi without learning the cultural significance of what Mihimihi means in the context of Te Ao Māori.

While there is representation for Māori and Pasifika culture at the university, and specific buildings designed for Māori and Pasifika students, Paige thought “there is little communication between students of UC Māori surrounding events such as kapa haka performances don’t get communicated across the whole campus.”

“There are events run by Te Waka Pākakano and Te Akatoki, but not a lot of communication is given to students to help promote these events,” Katia and Paige said.

Progress has been made with communication between Te Akatoki and the UCSA, but when vaccination roll out was happening on campus and Te Akatoki advertised free kai and vaccinations for Maori and Pasifika students, it appeared the UCSA weren’t advertising this as much, according to the students.

“I’m signed up as a Māori student, it’s not like they don’t know. I don’t think I’ve received any emails from UC about Māori centred events,” Katia explained.

UC’s response: The Head of Te Kura Kōwaiwai | the School of Fine Arts, Associate Professor Aaron Kreisler, said: “While the School of Fine Arts is not aware of the incidents mentioned, the School certainly does not think colonialism and its effects remain in the past. Colonization is something that continues to impact all facets of our society today.”

In regard to issues raised around communication, Kaihautū Taunaki Tāngata | Director – Equity & Business Management in Te Waka Pākākano, Rīpeka Tamanui-Hurunui (Ngāriki Kaiputahi, Te Aitanga-ā-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou) said: “In terms of communicating, we try to use as many platforms as possible to distribute key information to Māori students. We also work with Te Akatoki Māori Students Association who distribute on behalf and/or create supplementary comms promoting the same services.”

An unnamed UC spokesperson said: “We are aware there is a persistent equity gap that challenges UC to critically reflect on current approaches. UC is committed to bicultural competence and confidence and is the only university in Aotearoa with a Treaty Partnership Office, Kā Waimaero.”

Alex’s note: This is only scratching the surface of the issue. Tokenism of culture is systemic racism, as you cannot take parts of a culture you deem worthy enough to share or to meet the bare minimum of a job criteria. Aotearoa is a multi-cultural nation, and culture should be dealt with and respected. With the knowledge that we as tertiary students have a duty to be better than those who were here before us.

Aye (Particle)

‘Aye’ is a common particle that Kiwis use and place normally at the end of sentences. It can mean a plethora of things such as “what do you think?” but it is most commonly used to express agreement. For example, “damn, that’s not good, aye!”.

Bro (Noun)

‘Bro’ is directly an abbreviation of ‘brother’. Kiwis will commonly use this in place of ‘dude’ or ‘mate’.

Cark It (Verb)

‘Cark it’ is a way to express someone dying, passing out, leaving, or anything that alludes to someone exiting a situation. For example, “Where did Ella go?”, to which someone could reply with, “Bro, she carked it ages ago.”

Chur (Interjection)

The easiest way to describe ‘chur’ is to say that it basically translates to thank you. For example, someone could offer to help you with a uni class and you could reply with, “chur, bro!”

Dunny (Noun)

‘Dunny’ is a Kiwi colloquial alternative to toilet.

Far Out (Interjection)

‘Far out’ is a means to express that something is impressive or awesome. For instance, you could say, “Yo, far out, that looks sick!”

Ella Gibson (she/her)

Hard Out (Interjection)

‘Hard out’ is a means to express your agreement with someone. Someone could say, “Wow, what a shit day!”, to which you could reply with, “Hard out!”

Jafa (Noun)

‘Jafa’ is a term used to refer to someone who hails from Auckland.

Munted/Rooted/Sloshed (Adjective)

These terms all refer to the same concept of being ferally intoxicated. For example, someone could say, “You were on one in the weekend”, to which you could reply, “Oh bro, I was munted/rooted/sloshed.”

Skuxx (Adjective)

‘Skux’ is a means to describe someone that looks cool or has a lot of steez. But upon some very official research, ‘skux’ can also mean someone that is skilled in romantic attraction. Interesting.

Snag (Noun/Verb)

As a noun, ‘snag’ refers to a sausage in between a piece of white bread usually acquired from Bunnings. As a verb, ‘snag’ refers to something that has been gathered or picked up. For example, one could say, “Just snagged a snag.” Tehe.

Sus (Adjective)

‘Sus’ is used to describe something that appears a bit off or unusual. For example, you could say, “He gives off a really sus vibe.”

Tu Meke (Interjection)

‘Tu meke’ is a Māori phrase that directly translates to English as ‘too much’. If you say ‘tu meke’, it’s basically a way of expressing thanks or gratitude to someone.

Yarn (Noun)

In Kiwi slang, if someone mentions a ‘yarn’, they’re probably not referring to the thread. A ‘yarn’ generally refers to an amicable chat. However, if someone ‘spins a lot of yarns’, that means that a level of exaggeration and shit talking is involved.

Yeah, Nah (Interjection)

This saying arose inevitably because of Kiwis being so damn agreeable. ‘Yeah, nah’ is a way in Kiwi slang to say no. It’s important to focus on the last word of the phrase here so that you don’t get confused.

Yonks (Adjective)

‘Yonks’ is a way in Kiwi slang to refer to a long time or forever. You could say for example, “That took yonks!”

In case you don’t know by now, Tangata Tiriti is not simply the term for non-Māori New Zealanders, but a commitment to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti ō Waitangi in all areas of life.

Recognise our roots

Let’s first acknowledge that in no way did we do this first, and most modern recognition of queer liberation actively ignores the indigenous bodies on the frontlines. Takatāpui never needed an English definition (though it was given one), because it was so unique to Te Ao Māori. Non-heterosexual relationships and disrupting gender boundaries was pioneered by indigenous, and existed long before Aotearoa’s colonial history. As tangata tiriti we can take pride in our own identity, while still giving mihi to the tangata whenua who accepted our identity before we could.

Check your privilege

Let’s not ignore that being queer or trans as a Pākehā is not at all the same as the experience of Māori navigating their intersecting identities. Everyone know what intersectional is? (Ya know, the overlap of marginalised identities?). Cool. Life isn’t a game of ‘who has it worse’ but let’s be fair, as tangata tiriti we are bound to commitment to recognising the inequity WE created for Māori and indigenous groups. As well as such, due to our colonial input WE created homophobia and transphobia. We also created racism. Not cool, lets acknowledge that. Let’s see that as long as you are white, no matter how intersecting your minority identities are it is incomparable to the experiences of tangata whenua.

What can we do about it? Listen, acknowledge, hear, and do as is asked. How many Māori social media accounts do you follow? How many indigenousowned businesses do you purchase from? Who’s articles are you sourcing in that essay you are writing? Where does your local news come from? Who are you voting for? Do you get the point?

Sarah Eynon (She/Her)

Incorporate Te Reo Māori kupu

Do you know much Te Reo Māori kupu related to the queer identity? Let’s listen and learn.

Takatāpui: Umbrella term for diverse sexualities which encompasses spiritual and cultural aspects of Te Ao Māori.

Irawhiti: Born with the spirit of a gender different to which they were born assigned to (Trans man, Trans woman, Non-binary).

Whakawāhine: Creating or becoming a woman (Trans Woman).

Tangata Ira Tāne: Person with the spirit or gender of a man (Trans Man).

Ira Kore: Identify with no gender.

Tāhine: Mixed gender, sometimes Non-binary.

Pronouns: Are gender neutral. Ia is the third person pronoun used in place of They/Them/He/Him/She/ Her, etc.

And finally, if you read this all and think cool I’m done now. You’re not Tangata Tiriti. I barely scratch the surface of what it means to commit yourself to a lifetime of listening to and uplifting tangata whenua. It is ongoing mahi for the sake of undoing significant unjustified damage to whenua and culture that does not belong to us. No amount of discrimination we have faced ourselves, as LGBTQIA+ individuals, will EVER compare or excuse.

CHECKING MY

WHITE PRIVILEGE

Maddy Croad (she/her)

I grew up in a majority Pākehā town and high school who tried to sell inclusion, but like most places, didn’t succeed.

The complaints of ‘unfairness’ would reach my ears almost every time a Māori student would win an award, get a scholarship or even speak Te Reo in assemblies. The ‘that’s not fair’ debate would arise simply every time there was something the Pākehā cohort didn’t understand or didn’t have access to.

I don’t have to worry about stigma, stereotypes or stares. I don’t have to be concerned about facing people’s negative opinions if I achieve, nor having to fit my culture into a society built around a different one.

I have white privilege, even if it is not always obvious to me.

I myself don’t know as much as I should about Māori culture, origins and beliefs. So, I have taken this opportunity, and my access to this platform to check my privilege, educate myself, and perhaps some of you as well.

However, it is unfair of me to singlehandedly tell this story and address this issue, as it is not mine. So, I sat down and had a chat to an amazing ex-manukura, who was the first Māori student in her old high school to be given that role.

Despite only speaking to her for 20 minutes, it added a level of understanding that I didn’t have before, allowing me to look at these issues from a different perspective, and perhaps the one that we should all be looking from.

We began by speaking about what it felt like for her being in a majority Pākehā school. “Māori is my first language” she explained, “It was the first time I had seen majority Pākehā and majority speaking English.”

When she reached her final year of high school, she was called by the vice-principal, telling her that she had gotten the role of manukura. “I hung up” she said, “I thought it must be a prank call, why would they want a Māori student to go into that role when they had so many other people?”

“I was quite shocked; I didn’t believe it until they announced it in assembly.”

Despite being awarded this role by head staff at the school, she was immediately struck by adversity, challenges and negativity that past head girls hadn’t faced before.

She described to me the bullying she endured during her final year, which at times even came from her own prefect team. She said a common phrase going around was that she was only there to “tick a box”.

She said that being one of the only Māori head girls to do Māori things whilst in the role, was tough and created challenges in regards to her culture.

An example of this was an article written by her local paper about that years’ cultural prize-giving, discussing how there was ‘too much’ Te Reo spoken. “I was the only one that spoke Māori in that assembly,” she said.

This clearly presented challenges as she explained that she tried to use her role to “empower other rangatahi Māori, to want to be Māori” and with the limiting of Te Reo in her public forums, it was stopping her from doing this.

These limiting factors have also had an impact on how Māori students feel. “There was Māori throughout the whole of the school that were too embarrassed,” she said.

This made me think whether I had faced being embarrassed because of my culture, which is something I could never imagine. And something that my white privilege had provided me.

We went on to talk about her journey in her role and the hopes she has from contributing to the movement of Māori in leadership. “I hope they’re starting to recognise that to uplift us in those types of roles is really good”, she said.

I brought up the issue that Māori scholarships and opportunities are seen as ‘unfair’ in the eyes of others. I was interested to hear her perspective and reasoning.

“The system now, the education system was built for Pākehā students. Māori don’t fit into that category” she described. “Instead of fixing this system, they have given us things like scholarships.”

This made sense to me. ‘Salient’ Victoria University’s Canta equivalent, used a phrase in their 1974 edition: “education of the Pākehā, by the Pākehā, for the Pākehā”.

This phrase helped me to understand, that perhaps without realizing it, our systems are crafted and shaped for Pākehā, providing an advantage for non-Māori straight off the bat.

There were so many issues this interview brought to light, that I had never even considered. “When you are born, you kind of get a clean slate,” she said. Going on to explain that when a person of colour is born they have to have talks around whether or not to teach them Māori, to avoid having broken English in a Pākehā school. Or even the possibility of being bullied for not being able to speak English, or speaking another language.

She touched on stereotypes she had faced. Saying that the majority of people she has met assume she has been through “some type of sh*t” to be where she is today. “Yeah, maybe I have, but that shouldn’t be how people perceive me when they first meet me,” she said.

At the end of our conversation, I asked her what Pākehā can do to check and educate themselves.

She began by telling me the importance of pronunciation. This was evident by how her name was pronounced at her old high school “I used to be called so many other things but my name” she said. “It takes the mana of my name, it’s like someone giving you something and everyone else trying to take it.”

She backed this by informing me of an amazing Māori language tool, ‘Te Kete Māori’, best thing about it, It’s free! It contains waiata, the meaning and how to speak it.

“If you want to learn then go out and learn. You don’t have to be Māori; you don’t have to be brown or look a certain way” she urged. “You’re not going to find a xMāori, Polynesian or any other culture that’s going to tell you you can’t learn their language.”

From talking with this incredible Wahine, I had the opportunity to ask questions and get answers that helped me to understand how privileged I really am. I don’t have people telling me the only reason I get things is because I am white, I don’t have to worry about criticism when I speak English and I don’t have to be disadvantaged by the education system that is already built for me. I can walk around without any previous assumptions made about me, I can be comfortable in a room filled with people who look like me and I can do and achieve what I want without barriers.

I have white privilege, and sometimes I don’t even realise it. But it’s there, it exists and a lot of you have it too. Let’s start checking each other, holding others accountable and educating ourselves. It’s the least we can do.

Kia ora Koutou! I hope you’re enjoying Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori so far. For this issue, Stella Cheersmith sat down for a kōrero with Rosa Hibbert-Schooner, tumuaki (or president) of Te Akatoki, to talk about the mahi within their association and all the exciting events planned for this week!

TEll US AbOUT TE AkATOkI!

Te Akatoki was officially established in 1986. There've been so many Māori student groups here at UC before that, but the only recorded one is Te Akatoki, and that was through the likes of Michael and Bill Nepia. So Bill Te Awaroa Nepia was the old head of department for Aotahi, and his son Michael helped develop Te Aakatoki to what is now – the big establishment was around when Te Whare Ākonga o te Akatoki was built in 1998.

Our external statement that we hold to is “he toki ngao pae ki te ao mārama”, which is literally our name deriving from the fact that when Tane was ascending to get knowledges from the heavens, he cut through into the world of enlightenment with his toki which is like an adze or an axe. So through hard work and progression you can cut through into a world of enlightenment which we liken to the journey of a student, because it’s very hard to be a student and we know there’s a lot of challenges to get into that enlightenment space.

Stella Cheersmith (she/her)

In terms of goals, our main elevator pitch is “rangatahi Māori success”, so the base of what we do is just making sure rangatahi Māori are successful here at university. But success doesn’t necessarily mean just doing well in your grades, it’s all about holistically how do we support culture, social connections, hauora or wellbeing, as well as supporting the whānau that comes around the student because we know that students don’t come here alone.

SO whAT hAS TE AkATOkI bEEn dOInG SO fAR ThIS yEAR?

This year, our strategic goals have been sustainability, so we’ve got our own Māra Kai or garden that we’ve been keeping up and also feeding our people – we’ve done two drops of 40 packages across the year. Our next [goal] is engagement and communication. After COVID, we really haven’t seen a lot of our students, so it’s been about bringing them back, but we’ve had really great engagement in the Whare (our physical space) as well as our events this year.

Partnerships has been a huge [goal], but we’re changing that to relationships because we realised that under the mana of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, they are the only Treaty partner here at UC, so we’re working on Māori relationships instead. That’s really exciting because we’re working on two different agreements, one with UC and one with the UCSA. It’s been a lot of hard work over the past few years, but definitely worth it to finally have something in writing for our future execs.

Sponsorships have been a big thing – we’ve done a lot of external funding and hustling for money, because we all know that for students’ associations, money is a big barrier, especially when we’re all doing our mahi for free. But that actually funded our biggest event of the year, the Matariki formal dinner which had 250 people there, and lots of different performances from all across the world. We had Samoan dancers, Malaysian dancers, as well as Māori groups which was really cool.

And whAT’S cOmInG Up wITh TE wIkI O TE REO mAORI?

We’ve got a few different things happening in the week and we’ve got three main goals. The first one is just to whakamana or to uplift the stuff that we already do and try to make that a bit more uni-wide. So we’ll be doing Kapa Haka still on Wednesday, but afterwards we’re having Fush Waka which is a Māori-run, gourmet fish and chips business. So you can get free kai, all you have to do is order in Te Reo but we will teach you how to do that. So every event you go to, even if you can’t speak Te Reo, there’s an option for you to be able to learn Te Reo and then speak it! Then on Thursday, we’re doing Ki o Rahi which is a traditional Māori sport. But it’ll hopefully be easier than we usually do it – less competitive – and people can just turn up and we’ll put you in a team and you can learn how to play.

We’ve got some social media activities as well: every day we’ll put kupu hau, or a new word that people can learn, and we’ll also put up a “guess the whakatauākī” challenge. So for us in Te Ao Māori, whakatauākī are like Proverbs or common sayings that our tīpuna or our ancestors gave us. We like to put a modern take on how to learn these, so we get emojis and you have to guess the whakatauākī from the emojis. It does mean you need a little bit of knowledge of whakatauākī, but a week before we’ll post a whole bunch of different whakatauākī to learn, and then you have a little space to guess it and all the people that guess it go in the drawer to win a $50 voucher per day.

And the big event we have paid for that week is an amazing race on Friday. It’s going to start at the Whare and finish at the Whare, but it’ll take people all across campus doing lots of different challenges using Te Reo Māori, but obviously that can be right from people who have never spoken it before to people who are fluent.

It’s just about getting that interactive involvement of using Te Reo, so lots of fun stuff, lots of free stuff, plus every event we put on will have food so more incentive to come along!

whAT dO yOU wAnT Uc STUdEnTS TO knOw AbOUT TE AkATOkI?

I think my biggest thing is that if you’re not a Māori student, you can still join Te Akatoki, because we get a lot of people that go, “oh, I don’t feel like I can come to your events because I’m not Māori” or “I don’t want to take up space”. But the main thing for us is that there’s never going to be a cap on events, there’s never going to be not enough space for people to learn and be in Te Ao Māori. While you’re at uni, being amongst these spaces is so important because as soon as you get out into the world, you might not have ever been to a marae, you might not have ever been to Kapa Haka and you might be thrown into a workspace that’s like, “do you have Māori skills?” and you might not feel equipped for that. So if we can give someone that experience or even a helping hand, that is what we’re aiming to do, and we always love to have new faces around the Whare. I think it’s just an exciting time to be a Māori student and to be a Māori student movement, so join us! No matter what the capacity looks like, whether you want to be an exec member or if you just want to participate in our events, we do lots of cool stuff and all of it is for free. The koha we get from having people in our Whare is what keeps the fire burning. So as long as we’ve got people around, there’s always resources for whoever wants to join.

ThAnk

Ngā mihi kia koutou!

You can keep in touch with Te Akatoki on Instagram: @teakatoki and Facebook: @ TeAkatokiUC

yOU fOR ShARInG yOUR AmAzInG mAhI wITh US TOdAy!

Art by Jess Collins

Maddy Croad (she/her)

Te Akatoki is the Māori students’ association here on campus advocating for Māori students and working hard towards participation and inclusion. From forming a community and providing support to Māori students, Te Akatoki are constantly hard at work. Canta’s Maddy Croad visited the whare and had a kōrero with Tumuaki Tuarua, Anna and Pou Hono, Dom, about their thoughts and actions they have taken towards promoting sport and hauora.

Tell me a bit about your social sports program and its aims:

D: Social sports alternates every two weeks, we have our past Te Akatoki come in and help with sports like Ki-O-Rahi and other sports such as basketball, netball, touch etc. It’s ultimately about getting Ākonga Māori together and having a good time.

A: The aim for social sports is to get more engagement with our students in general, to promote hauora, wellbeing and taha wairua.

What are some of the barriers that are affecting Māori participation in programmes such as social sports?

D: The actual number of Māori students we have come into university is quite small. Covid has forced everyone to do university from home. It’s hard because a lot of Māori people don’t have the confidence or a connection to come over to the whare and to get involved so it gets really hard to reach out to everyone.

A: Getting people to join in is the hard part, covid is also one of our biggest barriers as normally when we do social sports our biggest turnout is our spectators. We are also not that well known around campus which is something we would like to change.

What are the best things about sport, why should everybody be active?

D: There’s a saying that goes “Tama tū tama ora; tama noho tama mate” which means if you are active, you are healthy if you are lazy you die. It’s all about balancing Hauora, being active and also studying.

A: With all the crazy things happening around the world it is good to keep in line with yourself and your wellbeing and to put yourself first. Especially putting your health first so you don’t get covid again!

Is there a connection between being active and being successful at uni?

D: I know that when I was in lockdown and I didn’t necessarily do heaps of physical activity, it actually took a really big toll and I think sometimes when university is so intense people forget that you just need to be active. You can smash out your study and feel a lot more motivated if you are creating those endorphins.

A: It’s important for our students to look after themselves, I think the university needs to do better at promoting that. I think the ‘Lads without Labels’ run for mental health last year is probably the biggest thing the university has done for mental health in a long time.

What is the end goal?

D: Advocating for Māori students!

A: Sports and health wise, if we had consistency, a full sports team in each of our sports that would be great. Ultimately, just more participation.

How can students get involved?

A: Just come! Come to our events, we are really cool. We are a big whānau over here so if you are feeling lonely or just need somewhere to be quiet or study the whare is the perfect place and is for everyone on campus.

D: It’s very easy to get along with everyone here. I love food and that’s why I love the whare because there is always free food here! Feel free to come and visit or even dm us on our Instagram: @teakatoki!

1) fIRST Off, plEASE InTROdUcE yOURSElf!

Kia ora tātou, I te taha o tōku Māmā - He uri ahau nō Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga hoki. I te taha o ōku mātua - Nō Irarangi, nō Airangi ōku tupuna. I tipu ake au ki Hakatere o Waitaha. Kei te Whanganui a Tara ahau e noho ana. Ko Alyce Lysaght tōku ingoa.

Kia ora all, I whakapapa Māori through mum to Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga - up in Tauranga Moana. And whakapapa to England and Ireland through both my parents.. I grew up rural Ashburton and currently live in Wellington. My name is Alyce Lysaght (pronounced like ‘A - lease Lie-Sit’).

I finished studying engineering at te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha/University of Canterbury in 2021. I spend most of my days working as a Water Engineer at a consultancy company, and spare time through a podcast kaupapa called ‘Māori in Engineering’.

2) whAT wAS yOUR Uc EnGInEERInG jOURnEy lIkE?

It was awesome for the most part and it had ups and downs like anything. I was incredibly fortunate to have friends and lecturers throughout the degree who supported and inspired me to get to where I am now. When I look back on my university journey, I think of it as the point where I began the journey of learning engineering and also learning my own whakapapa Māori and with that, what it meant to be Māori. Towards the end of university was when those two journeys, that felt like they were going in parallel, were woven together to where I am today.. Āe, I was the one to do that for myself, but it was because of support from friends, lecturers and others who I met at university. Hoi anō, when I think of my UC engineering journey, I think of that, so it was awesome.

3) bEInG bOTh mAORI And fEmAlE, dId yOU fEEl UndERREpRESEnTEd?

Āe, being Māori means being underrepresented purely because we make up less of the population than nonMāori. Moreso, being in a western institute means that Māori are likely to be even more underrepresented because of historical issues that have disadvantaged us getting here. That’s another big kōrero all together but still relates here. On top of that, being wahine makes you a minority in engineering so being wahine Māori makes you even more so and is the double whammy. In saying that though, there are spaces that have been created to bring those underrepresented together. This is not going to change overnight, so it’s when we all understand that is when we can continue to sustain and create spaces that are safe, inspiring and fostering connections that those who are underrepresented can feel empowered to be themselves in a space that doesn’t necessarily reflect them.

4) whAT IS ThE AIm Of mAORI In EnGInEERInG?

Aim: Haipaitia te pūkahatanga - elevating Māori in Engineering.

The aim is two pronged:

1. For Māori to see themselves reflected in the engineering world. To hopefully inspire Ākonga Māori thinking about coming in to the industry, those studying and those already in the industry, and;

2. For everyone to access this space to learn of the triumphs and tribulations of Māori within the engineering world. Creating a space to learn about the mahi they are doing and to inspire whakaaro to address the question of how we can all do better to improve this space.

Our tupuna were storytellers that connected people and place. The podcast is intended to hold on to the power of that.

whAT hAS bEEn ThE mOST InTERESTInG pART AbOUT TAlkInG

5)

TO SO mAny mAORI AcROSS ThE EnGInEERInG SpEcTRUm?

That all kaikōrero have come at this with differing whakaaro. I have been told many times that it's a ‘niche’ topic for a podcast. Āe, he tika tēnei. This is correct. Being Māori in the engineering world is the connector between each manuhiri/guest on the podcast so it means the journey to get to where they are, what they’ve done with that journey and their perspectives are all totally different. There is so much value in that.

6) whAT hAS bEEn ThE mOST ImpORTAnT ThInG ThAT yOU hAvE TAkEn fROm ThIS ExpERIEncE SO fAR?

That there are so many amazing Māori in this space doing amazing things. They are so generous to share their mātauranga and whakaaro with us. Also, we can’t change what’s already been done but we can change what we do from here. We can decide the spaces we interact in and the things we learn and create.

7) whAT dO yOU ThInk IS ThE mOST ImpORTAnT mESSAGE ThAT lISTEnERS cAn TAkE fROm yOUR pOdcAST?

Auē, many. I’ll give 2 answers: Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua - Walking into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. A lot - if not most - of the issues we are faced with today are able to be addressed by learning from our tupuna. The technology and advances we have today just optimise the efficiency of these learnings. That isn’t just limited to engineering mahi. We all have a story and there is power in sharing your story to inspire others.

8) whERE IS ThE bEST plAcE TO kEEp Up wITh yOU And yOUR pOdcAST mAhI?

Anywhere you get your podcasts! I.e., Spotify, Apple, Anchor etc. It is also available for free on this very grassroots website too - https://www.maori-in-engineering. com/podcast

9) wOUld yOU lIkE TO Add AnyThInG ElSE?

I am very aware that this has been super cheesy kōrero but I really hope something has resonated with you. If you would like to listen to the podcast, I would really appreciate that! If you’d like to connect, kōrero mai via space on the website to email me too.

“Kai moana, food from the sea.

Kaaaai moana, to feed the family.

Fish for the future, and there will always be!

More kaai moana, for you and me”

To those of you that grew up in Aotearoa, you may remember the BEST school day of the year - when you and all your peers shuffled into the school hall and sat cross-legged on the floor for The Minstrel Show. Yes! A full day of waiata, flapping arms, and no schoolwork awaited you. The Minstrel (Mark de Lacy) and his wife Chrissy would sing stories about Hiwi the Kiwi and fishing for the future. Kai moana is the one that always stuck with me. Looking back, The Minstrel was teaching us a valuable lesson about sustainability.

The way we gather food, with respect for Tangaroa and Hinemoana (male and female atua of the ocean and fish), feeds into the idea of mahinga kai. It is about protecting the environment we gather food from and ensuring these food sources remain for generations to come. It is our role as kaitiaki to do so, for our tamariki, just as our tūpuna did. This viewpoint in mātauranga Māori is also reflected in our relationship with Papatūānuku (Earth mother). The beauty and revelation in this idea is the interdependence between the people and environment. We are nature. The health of the environment is strongly reflected in the mana of the people. Valuing and safeguarding Aotearoa’s biodiversity is essential for the environment and communities to flourish alongside each other forevermore.

How can we gather food in a way that values mahinga kai?

I think this comes down to awareness. We can thank the natural world for the food we are harvesting and take only what we need, not all that we see. If the environment is suffering, we can allow it to regenerate.

A traditional example in mātauranga Māori is a rāhui. This is a restriction placed on a particular area, which can be done for different reasons. A rāhui might be imposed for conservation, for example, allowing fish populations to restore. Rāhui are also created in response to a tragedy, such as loss of life, out of respect for the deceased and whanau. This again reflects the intimate relationship of Māori to Papatūānuku.

I’ll leave you with the words of Charisma Rangipuna:

“Ka hāhā te tuna ki te roto; ka hāhā te reo ke te kaika; ka hāhā te takata ki te whenua” - If there is no tuna (eels) in the lake; there will be no language or culture resounding in the home; and no people on the land; however, if there are tuna in the lake; language and culture will thrive; and the people will live proudly on the land.

Ngā mihi nui, maurioura!

Te Reo terms used:

• kai = food

• kaitiaki = guardian(s) of the environment

• mahinga kai = managing food gathering from natural resources

• mana = power, life force

• maurioura = cheers! (wishing you good health)

• moana = ocean

• ngā mihi nui = thank you very much

• tamariki = children

• tūpuna = ancestors (plural)

• waiata = song

For a trip down memory lane (or to understand what I’m talking about), search on Youtube: Hiwi the Kiwi sustainability show at Willowbank School Auckland.

Haerenga to Wainui with Associations in Te Wai Pounamu

Matthew Caro (he/him)

Earlier this month, Te Akatoki, alongside Te Roopū Māori (the Otago University Māori Students’ Association) and Te Awhioraki (the Lincoln University Māori Students’ Association) headed to Wainui YMCA on the Banks Peninsula.

Matthew Caro sat down with Te Akatoki tumuaki Rosa-Hibbert Schooner for a korero ahead of the haerenga.

Taukaea tau ira is a fully subsidised, four-day event for 70 māori students based around the South Island. The trip is founded on whanaungatanga, a time to focus on social bonding and building connections with other Māori students after a busy term.

Features of the weekend include communal cooking, court sessions, learning about the cultural history around Akaroa, hiking, kapa haka and hākinakina (traditional Māori sport). Each of these activities aim to bring together the students and celebrate their Māori identity.

With only three Māori student associations in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island), there is a strong need to band together and support each other, explains Te Akatoki tumuaki Rosa Hibbert-Schooner. This year Te Akatoki will act as the host association.

Invitations have also been offered to students at Ara, which does not currently have a Māori Students’ Association. A challenge with setting up Māori students’ associations at institutions like Ara is that students are only doing their courses for six to twelve months so aren’t as willing to engage in clubs. This makes events like Haerenga a great opportunity to connect Māori students in the lack of a Māori student association.

Inspiration for the event came from the waiata ‘Te Taukaea aroha’ which explores building social connections. After multiple years of delays due to Covid and other setbacks, everything has finally fallen into place. Close ties between the Māori Students’ Associations and funding have enabled the event this year.

Funding has been granted by Te Pūtahitanga, which aims to create social impact by investing in community groups.

They are the largest Māori funding organisation in Christchurch and focus on South Island initiatives. They have given $20,000 for this event and have supported Te Akatoki with a total of $60,000 of funding for events this year.

This funding is a warm welcome to Te Akatoki as they receive no financial support from the University. Funds are directed from the UCSA student levy, but the University is keeping its coffers closed to the association. As a parallel association to the UCSA, the contradiction lies in the fact that while the UCSA offers a salary to its student executive, Te Akatoki relies on an entirely volunteer exec.

“In 28 years, not a single president has been paid. The only thing we have got is this whare, which isn’t maintained properly. They’re getting there slowly, but we want formal commitment.” - Rosa HibbertSchooner.

Whilst the battle for backing from the University continues, haerenga will provide the perfect opportunity for Māori students around the South Island to connect and build lasting social connections. Ka pai Te Akatoki!

Reo Revitalisation

Leo He (he/him)

On 14 September 1972, a petition was put together and presented to parliament by representatives of Te Rōpū Reo Māori and Ngā Tamatoa, two university-based groups. Along with Huinga Rangatahi (the New Zealand Māori Students’ Association), they gathered 30,000 signatures.

For those of us who are Pākehā, why is the petition important?

The

Māori Language Petition or Te Reo Petition asked the government to recognise te reo officially and teach it in schools.

The day also marked the first te reo Māori day, and three years later, it expanded to what we know as Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. However, having te reo recognised as an official language was still a struggle. In 1981, another petition was signed calling for te reo to become an official language of Aotearoa.

However, it was not until 1987 that te reo Māori became an official language under the Māori Language Act.

Nevertheless, the petition is the starting point for a significant revitalisation of te reo in Aotearoa. This means 2022 serves as the 50th anniversary of this movement. I sat down with Rosa Hibbert-Schooner, te Tumuaki o Te Akatoki to discuss the significance of Te Reo Petition.

Rosa: I think [Te Reo Petition] is both a positive and a negative because it shouldn’t take this long for te reo to be recognised, but as a positive that it shows us that even though we were colonised, we are able to show our worth and our customs. For Pākehā, it is very important because it shows the damage [that colonisation] has caused, but it shows the need to change and the call of action that everyone participated in, so it is a bit of both.”

What can we do to help?

Rosa: I think learning basic te reo is great and be authentic about it. It’s not only up to Māori to revive the language but Pākehā too. If you know te reo, helping others along the way as well.

For those who have learned te reo, we might be a bit whakamā about getting it wrong. What advice would you give to them?

Rosa: If you are unsure about something just ask. I think it’s better to get it wrong and corrected. Don’t take it as a fault but as a learning opportunity. I can’t speak for all Māori, but for me personally, it’s better to show intention to learn than not at all. I would encourage people to use te reo daily and it will become a natural part of your vocabulary.

Hine-te-iwaiwa. Hine-te-iwaiwa is the kaitaki (guardian) of childbirth, weaving and the cycles of the moon. Some say that it is Hine-te-iwaiwa that assists at the entrance into, and exits from this world. Art by River Jayden

PSYCHED

Ella Gibson (she/her)

After a volatile linguistic history, te reo Māori is experiencing a renaissance. In Aotearoa’s 2018 census, figures revealed that approximately 186,000 Kiwis could speak at least conversational Māori. That is approximately 4% of the New Zealand population. Aotearoa’s government pledged to ensure that there would be one million Kiwis that could speak basic Māori by the year 2040. However, is that aspiration too ambitious to salvage the endangered Māori language?

In this episode of Psyched, we’re going to have a look at the history of te reo Māori. How did Aotearoa’s once principal linguistic means become in danger of extinction? The easy answer here is colonisation and we could simply end the article here. But despite that potential answer, we are going to take a look at the specifics of te reo Māori’s decline and how mass efforts are now being put into the resurrection of te reo Māori’s survival.

Before settlers arrived in Aotearoa, the Māori language was flourishing as the principal and only means of spoken communication. Yet as more and more English-speaking settlers arrived in Aotearoa, the decline of the Māori language began consequently. Initially when Europeans were settling in Aotearoa, speaking Māori became essential for settlers to trade and communicate with Māori.

However, as the number of English speakers in Aotearoa continued to increase, te reo Māori became increasingly confined to Māori communities. And around the mid-20th century, concerns started to arise that te reo Māori was dying out as a result of the Europeans settlers’ occupancy in Aotearoa.

It only took until the 1860s when Pākehā became more populous than Māori in Aotearoa. While it was not necessarily unusual for Pākehā to speak te reo Māori, by the mid-19th century, Māori and Pākehā communities began living separately and interacted less. In a Pākehā-dominated Aotearoa, speaking Māori was essentially discouraged. Pākehā in the 19th century could not comprehend the importance that te reo Māori has in Māori culture and expression.

A clear example of this blatant dismissal of te reo Māori could be observed in 19th century education in Aotearoa. Suppression of the Māori language in schooling was prominent for assimilating Māori to a Pākehā-dominant worldview. Māori could be punished for speaking te reo Māori in the classroom. For example, in the 1980s, Sir James Henare reflected on his punishment for speaking te reo Māori which was being sent into the bush, cutting a piece of pirita, and being struck with it.

Despite this overt disrespect to Māori and te reo Maori, the language survived. Te reo Māori was the language of the marae and of the home. Yet many challenges faced te reo’s survival. By the 1980s, only around 20% of Māori had sufficient te reo Māori knowledge to be considered native speakers. Major efforts in the mid-to-late 20th century were put into resurrecting te reo. Political efforts in 1972 saw the Auckland-based group Ngā Tamatoa (The Young Warriors), Victoria University’s Te Reo Māori Society, and Te Huinga Rangatahi (the New Zealand Māori Students’ Association) petitioning Parliament to promote te reo Māori. In 1972, a Māori language day was introduced followed by extending that into a Māori language week in 1975. Oh, by the way, happy Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori!

The 1980s saw increasingly more extensive efforts placed onto the survival of te reo Māori. In 1985, the Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Reo Māori claim. This asserted that te reo Māori was a taonga (treasure) and that the Crown needed to protect te reo under the Treaty of Waitangi. Through efforts such as the aforementioned, Māori became an official language of Aotearoa under the Māori Language Act in 1987.

Having one million New Zealanders speaking basic te reo Māori by the year 2040 may not actually be as much of a stretch as it may seem. Speaking te reo Māori in the 21st century for both Māori and Pākehā is viewed drastically differently now than it was in the 19th century. Rather than it being discouraged and punishable to speak Māori, now it is commended, encouraged, and desired in Aotearoa. We are at the forefront of this beautiful te reo Māori renaissance. Finally, Māori is getting the recognition that it deserves as an official language of Aotearoa. Still a lot of progress is to be made, yet in spite of the tumultuous history that te reo Māori has faced, the future for te reo Māori is looking more positive than ever.

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fEElInG lUcky?

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DIP LUCKY DIP LUCKY

CANTA s longest running segment! Each issue we set two people up on a blind date and they record their experiences.

Here are the unedited results.

I couldn’t believe it when I got a message from one of the CANTA editors asking if I was still keen for lucky dip. I’ve been applying for years and it’s my last semester at uni so I was beyond stoked - ngl, kinda the best graduation present I could have asked for lol. Also, I love Rollickin (who doesn’t)!?

I have literally been hanging out at this moment for years so, naturally, I was pretty pissed off when I woke up the morning of the date with puffy eyes. But alas, worse shit has happened. I get myself dressed up and set out on my way, jamming to Fletcher’s girls, girls, girls to psych myself up (fellow queers will get me). I arrive at Rollickin, and I’m told my date is already upstairs waiting for me. She’s cute! I’m thinking to myself ‘oh hell yeah, CANTA done good’. We order two scoops of ice cream, get chatting, but things quickly turn sour. Within the first five minutes she asks me what’s up with my eyes (ha!) and says that she’s not actually queer, just “wanted to go out with a girl” because she’s “sick of guys”. I literally have no clue what to say in response. She spends most of the time talking about all the guys she’s been with recently between checking her phone. I finish my ice cream and tell her I have somewhere to be. Not going to waste my time with people who are clearly wasting mine. 10/10 would not see her again. 10/10 go back to Rollickin though - at least they don’t mess you around. Thanks for the opportunity though CANTA. They can’t all work out eh…

dIppER OnE dIppER TwO

My time had finally come to tick off the biggest thing on my university bucket list. Of course, I could only be referring to the infamous Lucky Dip. One of the CANTA editors messaged me and told me that I had been selected. I simply could not be happier.

The day had arrived and I was admittedly feeling a bit nervous. Unfortunately, I was amidst a cold - not COVID, I swear, I did a RAT that morning - so there genuinely could not have been a worse day to get free gelato with zero taste buds. Poor effort from my immune system.

I got there ten minutes earlier than what was required of me. I didn’t want to be the one running late, you know? For context, I said in my Lucky Dip application that I was bicurious. This is generally just because I wanted to lucky dip (see what I did there) my toes into the other gender pool after a tumultuous run with guys. Lo and behold, a cute gal walks up the Rollickin’ stairs and I’m thinking to myself, ‘oh, this is great!’ We exchange pleasantries and that’s no stress. We went downstairs and got our gelato, the Banoffee flavour was looking at me funny so of course I had to indulge.

Then the date part of the date commences. I noticed that she kept rubbing her eyes funny so I asked her what was up but I don’t think that really went down a treat. Apparently I hit a sensitive nerve or something because the conversation quickly deteriorated. This also could have been because I didn’t fully consider myself to be queer but alas.

I couldn’t really taste my gelato which was not fun, lol. But to be honest, the date was pretty tasteless as well. Sorry, not sorry.

Shout out to CANTA for providing the goods and the experience. I guess at least I can now say I have been on Lucky Dip now, I don’t know I would consider myself that lucky though.

PUZZLES

Ben OʼConnell (he/they)

HOROQUOTES

“It is a challenge in high-density areas for people to get outside and spread their legs” - Chris Hipkins.

“That was a bed-time fail” - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

ARIES

TAURUS

“No, it’s a f*cking goat” - Random toddler about a goat in the garden.

“When my eyebrow goes up, it’s a joke” - Judith Collins.

“I suspect whatever you planned to put in my mouth would be so tiny it would do little to keep me quiet” - Hilary Barry.

“There are no new cases of Covid-19 to report in New Zealand today” - Dr Ashley Bloomfield.

“This is the f*cking news” - Patrick Gower

“My husband is Samoan, so Talofa” - Judith Collins.

“He’s about as welcome as diarrhoea in a wetsuit in that place” - Greenpeace’s Russell Norman on former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“OK Boomer” - Chlöe Swarbrick.

CAPRI-

CANCER VIRGO SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS CORN

“See you see you later, it’s time to say goodbye. See you see you later, I’ve really got to fly” - Suzo Cato (totally meant for when you tap and gap btw).

“It was a bit nuts, mind blowing”Benee.

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