Kotahi Mano Kāika

Corban Te Aika is confident te reo has changed his life.

Taking a break from his duties as a tutor in Te Reo Māori and Māori Indigenous Studies at Canterbury University, he talks about the power of language immersion and unquestionable benefits of attending Kotahi Mano Kāika's well-established te reo wanaka, Kā Pari Karakaraka and the inaugural Kura Reo Kāi Tahu held at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff in July.

"My learning te reo was driven by a desire to learn more about myself, my heritage, my culture. My father is Māori but we never spoke te reo at home. For me, studying for my BA in Te Reo Māori and Political Science was a natural progression after my introduction to te reo at high school. I haven't even graduated yet and already it's given me a lot of opportunities," he says.

Corban (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāi Tūāhuriri), 19, has been attending Kā Pari Karakaraka wānaka for the last three years – six times in all – and he speaks highly of the positive impact they have had on his linguistic abilities.

"The wānaka give you an opportunity to totally immerse yourself in all things te reo and Māori. I've found that a huge benefit. They put you in an environment where you are expected to speak te reo yet at the same time it's a caring environment where it's okay to make mistakes."

While Kura Reo Kāi Tahu is aimed at all levels of te reo ability, Kā Pari Karakaraka is geared toward those who already have some fluency. In addition to language they encompass history, tikanga and culture – something Corban says has already had a major impact on his life, his confidence levels and his understanding of both his own identity and his Māori heritage.

"These wānaka have given me a far greater understanding of just how much danger our language is in, so I speak te reo now at every opportunity I get. I even felt confident enough to speak at a pōwhiri for the first time recently. That was a big step for me.

"And Ngāi Tahu and Kotahi Mano Kāika have made it easy. They create an excellent learning environment; they offer a terrific amount of support; and they have numerous resources to back up the wānaka experience.

"Te Reo is in danger but Ngāi Tahu's 25-year language strategy, driven by the vision of having te reo o Ngāi Tahu spoken in 1 000 Ngāi Tahu homes by 2025 is a terrific proactive approach. It takes one generation to lose a language and three to get it back. I'm from the second generation of new learners and while we have a long way to go, the Kotahi Mano Kāika, Kotahi Mano Wawata initiative is an excellent one – and one that has definitely set the pathway to my future. I'll continue to learn and work with te reo. I like the idea of being part of the greater te reo o Ngāi Tahu revitalisation process."