PHOTOGRAPH SAMPSON KARST
a critical mass. At the end of the day you can be as committed as you want as a parent, but the biggest influence for our tamariki is always going to be other children, so having other kids that speak Māori just normalises it.” I was curious about what the parents had in mind for the children as they head towards their teens, a time where rebellion is to be expected. “We do have a few teenagers in the group now, but as more start to transition into their teens, that’s going to be a challenge for us,” says Te Marino. “The tamariki are also at different schools, but those are the sorts of issues we sit down and discuss at the start of every year as a group, as well as planning our trips.” The parents are optimistic about the future of their puna reo and ready and willing to face challenges as they arise. The intergenerational transmission of te reo Māori is hard work. It demands dedication, but this is a lifestyle they have all commit-
ted to, and when learning is made fun, they can all share in the success of language revitalisation. As the children make their way back along the path for a shared kai, their mums take one last opportunity to ask the tamariki about what they have learnt. This reinforces learning and encourages a dialogue in te reo Māori. In those small but significant interactions lies the secret to this group’s success. A number of the parents are trained educators, and the children benefit directly from their expertise. The parents of Te Puna Reo o Ngā Matariki are in the early years of a lifelong commitment. They have pooled resources and knowledge in an effort to ensure a brighter future for their children, the iwi, and the Māori language. “This is something that we should celebrate,” says Eruera. “These are the fruits of our labour, and the efforts of teachers at kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa and Kōtahi Mano Kāika. I just hope we can guide them and give them the space to be who they are. “
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