title: The revitalisation roles of Māori-medium whānau

authors: Bryant, Braden

abstract: For over a century and a half, te reo Māori (the Māori language) has suffered from linguistic marginalisation, causing significant language shift to English, and, with it, generations of Māori who are unable to speak their indigenous language. While efforts since the 1970s to rebuild te reo Māori have primarily focused on educational initiatives such as kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa, there is now a move to shift the revitalisation strategy towards encouraging te reo Māori use in the home, and to rebuilding the language intergenerationally. Unfortunately, little is known about whānau perceptions regarding te reo Māori revitalisation, which is what this research investigates.

This research investigates five whānau who have committed their children to Māori-medium education. It aims to understand what influenced their decision-making around Māori-medium and what they see as the key benefits for their children. It also looks at what whānau consider to be obstacles regarding their use of te reo Māori, and at their commitment to Māori-medium education. Finally, this research aims to uncover how whānau perceive the wider revitalisation effort, and their roles in it.

The qualitative method of semi-structured interviews was used to conduct this research. The conversational nature of this method gives whānau the freedom to express their beliefs, while remaining on the main themes of this study. As the participants and themes of this research are Māori, the study used Kaupapa Māori theory and principles to guide it. This supported the overall aim of aligning with Māori aspirations, and safeguarding participants from exploitation.

This research found that perceptions of whānau often reflected the extent to which they had been affected by intergenerational language shift. Whānau still highly affected by language shift, and whose te reo Māori is less normalised in the home, prioritised te reo Māori learning at school as the key benefit of Māori-medium education. This group also faced more opposition to their Māori-medium choices from friends and whānau, and perceived their revitalisation roles to be more concerned with the immediate whānau. By contrast, the whānau who had managed to regenerate te reo Māori in their homes to a greater extent placed more emphasis on tikanga and values as benefits of Māori-medium education. They identified opposition from friends and whānau as a barrier to their promotion of te reo Māori, while also identifying their own subconscious lapses into English as a major barrier to maintaining normalised te reo Māori environments for their children. Finally, they perceived their revitalisation roles as revolving around normalising te reo Māori for their whānau and for their communities. They played important roles in establishing language domains for further use of what is their home language.

This small study shows the importance of understanding the perceptions of those who are central to the regeneration of te reo Māori because they are the key agents of successful change, and have the attitudes and skills to do so. A larger study would provide more data to support the formation of new language revitalisation strategies.

text: The revitalisation roles of Māori-medium whānau For over a century and a half, te reo Māori (the Māori language) has suffered from linguistic marginalisation, causing significant language shift to English, and, with it, generations of Māori who are unable to speak their indigenous language. While efforts since the 1970s to rebuild te reo Māori have primarily focused on educational initiatives such as kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa, there is now a move to shift the revitalisation strategy towards encouraging te reo Māori use in the home, and to rebuilding the language intergenerationally. Unfortunately, little is known about whānau perceptions regarding te reo Māori revitalisation, which is what this research investigates.

This research investigates five whānau who have committed their children to Māori-medium education. It aims to understand what influenced their decision-making around Māori-medium and what they see as the key benefits for their children. It also looks at what whānau consider to be obstacles regarding their use of te reo Māori, and at their commitment to Māori-medium education. Finally, this research aims to uncover how whānau perceive the wider revitalisation effort, and their roles in it.

The qualitative method of semi-structured interviews was used to conduct this research. The conversational nature of this method gives whānau the freedom to express their beliefs, while remaining on the main themes of this study. As the participants and themes of this research are Māori, the study used Kaupapa Māori theory and principles to guide it. This supported the overall aim of aligning with Māori aspirations, and safeguarding participants from exploitation.

This research found that perceptions of whānau often reflected the extent to which they had been affected by intergenerational language shift. Whānau still highly affected by language shift, and whose te reo Māori is less normalised in the home, prioritised te reo Māori learning at school as the key benefit of Māori-medium education. This group also faced more opposition to their Māori-medium choices from friends and whānau, and perceived their revitalisation roles to be more concerned with the immediate whānau. By contrast, the whānau who had managed to regenerate te reo Māori in their homes to a greater extent placed more emphasis on tikanga and values as benefits of Māori-medium education. They identified opposition from friends and whānau as a barrier to their promotion of te reo Māori, while also identifying their own subconscious lapses into English as a major barrier to maintaining normalised te reo Māori environments for their children. Finally, they perceived their revitalisation roles as revolving around normalising te reo Māori for their whānau and for their communities. They played important roles in establishing language domains for further use of what is their home language.

This small study shows the importance of understanding the perceptions of those who are central to the regeneration of te reo Māori because they are the key agents of successful change, and have the attitudes and skills to do so. A larger study would provide more data to support the formation of new language revitalisation strategies.

year: 2017

title: Kei moenga - Tārā i te ārero. Lest it be severed from the tongue

authors: Bailey, Iraia Thompson

subjects: te reo Māori

abstract: Tūwharetoa are a distinctive tribal group who are located within the central North Island. With a proud and celebrated history, Tūwharetoa evolved through out time to become a complex and unique tribe, containing a number of sub tribes, each with its own authority, structure and land holdings. However, like all Māori, Tūwharetoa were greatly affected by the impact of European colonisation. In particular the unique language and customs of Tūwharetoa where savaged by the policy of assimilation and the introduction of a new language and its cultural beliefs. Presently the traditional language of Tūwharetoa is in a perilous state, and regardless of the many Māori language initiatives that have been established over the past few decades, the special language of Tūwharetoa is declining. This thesis is concerned with understanding the reasons why the traditional language of Tūwharetoa finds itself in this position, while also assessing the initatives implemented by Tūwharetoa to rectify this situation. Furthermore this study will look to create a possible pathway forward for Tūwharetoa to support the regeneration and revitalisation of the language. Ultimately this thesis will propose a framework bedded within language planning theory, supported by a kaupapa Māori research methodology and founded within the beliefs of Tūwharetoa, to see the return of te reo Māori as the main form of communication for the people of Tūwharetoa, and as a clear marker of our identity and uniqueness.

text: Kei moenga - Tārā i te ārero. Lest it be severed from the tongue Tūwharetoa are a distinctive tribal group who are located within the central North Island. With a proud and celebrated history, Tūwharetoa evolved through out time to become a complex and unique tribe, containing a number of sub tribes, each with its own authority, structure and land holdings. However, like all Māori, Tūwharetoa were greatly affected by the impact of European colonisation. In particular the unique language and customs of Tūwharetoa where savaged by the policy of assimilation and the introduction of a new language and its cultural beliefs. Presently the traditional language of Tūwharetoa is in a perilous state, and regardless of the many Māori language initiatives that have been established over the past few decades, the special language of Tūwharetoa is declining. This thesis is concerned with understanding the reasons why the traditional language of Tūwharetoa finds itself in this position, while also assessing the initatives implemented by Tūwharetoa to rectify this situation. Furthermore this study will look to create a possible pathway forward for Tūwharetoa to support the regeneration and revitalisation of the language. Ultimately this thesis will propose a framework bedded within language planning theory, supported by a kaupapa Māori research methodology and founded within the beliefs of Tūwharetoa, to see the return of te reo Māori as the main form of communication for the people of Tūwharetoa, and as a clear marker of our identity and uniqueness.

year: 2013

title: Fashioning hybrid Muslim women’s veiled embodied geographies in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand: #hijabi spaces

authors: Soltani, Anoosh

abstract: In this article, we foreground the intersection of hijab and fashion as multiple expressions of Muslim women’s gendered identities and geographies in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand. Muslim women use their bodies to express adaptations of femininity, religion, and nationalities. Using an embodied geography lens, this article grapples with mutual intersecting identities, including gender, religion and nationality and wider relations of power. Drawing on interviews with 30 participants and their social media images, we show how participants trouble a modesty and fashion binary. They do this in – and through – the city of Hamilton in both online and offline spaces. There are three findings. First, we show the complex relationship between identities, hijab, fashion, gender and religious power relations in and around their bodies. Second, Muslim women have conflicting emotions when wearing a veil and engaging with fashionable clothing and accessories in Hamilton. Finally, we focus on the ways that Muslim women use Facebook and Instagram and an array of fashion hashtags to illustrate the intersection of hijab, clothes, place and Western fashion. In doing so they negotiate online and offline spaces to construct hybrid fashionable-Islamic bodies and places. In each of these findings, we highlight the ways participants understand their Muslim-Kiwi identities.

text: Fashioning hybrid Muslim women’s veiled embodied geographies in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand: #hijabi spaces In this article, we foreground the intersection of hijab and fashion as multiple expressions of Muslim women’s gendered identities and geographies in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand. Muslim women use their bodies to express adaptations of femininity, religion, and nationalities. Using an embodied geography lens, this article grapples with mutual intersecting identities, including gender, religion and nationality and wider relations of power. Drawing on interviews with 30 participants and their social media images, we show how participants trouble a modesty and fashion binary. They do this in – and through – the city of Hamilton in both online and offline spaces. There are three findings. First, we show the complex relationship between identities, hijab, fashion, gender and religious power relations in and around their bodies. Second, Muslim women have conflicting emotions when wearing a veil and engaging with fashionable clothing and accessories in Hamilton. Finally, we focus on the ways that Muslim women use Facebook and Instagram and an array of fashion hashtags to illustrate the intersection of hijab, clothes, place and Western fashion. In doing so they negotiate online and offline spaces to construct hybrid fashionable-Islamic bodies and places. In each of these findings, we highlight the ways participants understand their Muslim-Kiwi identities.

year: 2021