The above whakataukī appropriately launches Te wiki o te reo Māori or Māori language week this week, being created by Dr Tīmoti Kāretu who was knighted for his services to te reo Māori.
How are you going with your reo Māori journey? Luckily there are plenty of resources to help you along the way in Ara’s Ao Māori Subject Guide. Resources include:
I often find waiata are a great way to build my reo with the music, rhythm and rhyme supporting memorization and of course if you have younger members in your whānau this is a fun activity to do together. Here is a simple waiata to help learn the days of the week in te reo Māori sung to the tune of the Banana Boat (Day O) song by Harry Belafonte for all those oldies out there who might recognise this melody.
If you have aced te waiata mō ngā rā o te wiki you might like to learn the maramataka or months of the year in te reo which Miss Tuwharetoa sings to the tune of another oldie Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka which you can find on You Tube.
Nō reira, best of luck with your reo Māori journey and remember every little bit counts.
Whāngaia ka tupu, ka puawai That which is nurtured, blossoms and grows
Mālō e lelei. Welcome to Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga – Tongan Language Week which we celebrate this year from Sunday 3 September to Saturday 9 September. The theme for this year is ‘E tu’uloa ‘a e Lea faka-Tongá ‘o ka lea’aki ‘i ‘api, siasi (lotu), mo e nofo-‘a-kāingá, which means the Tongan Language will be sustainable if used at home, church and in the wider community.
You can practise your lea faka-Tonga with some common greetings after watching the following You tube video from Pacific Learners.
How did you go with your greetings? Here is a catchy tune from Pacific Kids Learning, to learn the Tongan alphabet. It includes learning one Tongan word for each letter. Singalong to find out what the words for coconut and banana are. Here’s a hint -the Tongan word for coconut begins with N and the Tongan word for banana begins with S.
Kia orana. This week we celebrate Cook Islands Language Week or Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani. This year’s theme is “Ātuitui’ia au ki te au peu o tōku kāinga Ipukarea”, which means “connect me to the traditions and culture of my homeland”.
Have you heard of Virginia Woolf’s essay called “A Room of One’s Own”? It was published in 1929 and I confess I’ve never read it, but I have always loved its title.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Wolfe
Having a room—or even a wee space—of my own was always something I longed for as a child. My big family lived in a very small house: the three older girls shared a bedroom, the boys lived in a caravan out the back, and the little ones (including me) slept in bunks in a cupboard-sized “sunroom”.
Virginia Woolf wasn’t talking about shared rooms and caravans—she was arguing that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction” (Woolf, 1929, p. 4). That is, women could write extraordinary literature if they had the same resources as men (access to education, independent incomes, men’s social advantages etc). I certainly don’t disagree with her argument, but as a child I knew nothing of Virginia Woolf or early feminist theory—I had somehow just heard the title “A Room of One’s Own” and desired the concept.
I loved reading as a kid (still do) and so finding a quiet undisturbed reading spot was a high priority. If you’ve ever tried sitting up in the bottom bunk in a shared room, you know it’s neither comfortable nor quiet! So eventually I found a high tree branch where I could sit hidden for a couple of hours with a library book and, if lucky, a snack stolen from the kitchen.
When I left home, it was to the glorious experience of a room of my own, even if these were in a series of old cold flats. Now I have my own home and have created a few little spaces of my own around the house, most recently a mini library. (See photos.) I use these spots mainly for reading—but sometimes I find myself just sitting gazing or thinking.
Maybe one day I will even read Virginia Woolf.
Lis Roche
Learning Advisor
Reference:
Woolf, V. (1929). A room of one’s own. Hogarth Press.
fa‘alavelave (ceremonial and other family obligations).
In 2018, 50% of people of Samoan ethnicity could speak Samoan. It was the third most-spoken language in New Zealand. There were 41 Samoan aoga amata (early learning language nests) in New Zealand in 2020.
Watch this video to learn a few simple words, including counting in gagana Sāmoa (Samoan language).
Read Mana of the Pacific in the Ara Library for some beautiful proverbs of Samoa and other Pacific Islands including this one which refers to how earthly things breakdown but what you say might be remembered forever or take care when speaking and know your voice is powerful:
Join us at City and Timaru Campuses, or online, to create and share your Blackout Poetry. Making Blackout Poetry is easy and lots of fun, and there are chocolate prizes up for grabs. Add your entry to the wall in the library, or share it with us here, before Sunday 26 March to be in to win
Check out the images for further instructions and ideas
On the 14 September members of Ngā Tamatoa and Te Rōpu Reo Māori Society delivered the Māori language petition containing more than 30,000 signatures to Parliament. This inspired the first Māori Language Day in 1972 and was followed by celebrations of Māori Language Weeks from 1975 onwards.
For more background to the reo petition of 1972 read these articles from a range of news sources.
In the Wairoa Star article above, Dr Joseph Te Rito, who is also the brother of Ara’s Kaumatua Poutama, Harry Westrupp, shares his part in driving the reo petition of September 14 1972.
Talofa lava, Ara is pleased to be celebrating Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week, running Sunday 30 May to Saturday 5 June.
This year’s theme is Poupou le lotoifale. Ola manuia le anofale – Strengthen the posts of your house, for all to thrive. The Ministry for Pacific Peoples writes that “When you’re building a foundation for a fale (house) it can’t have a weak foundation or posts. This is the same for the foundations of our families, schools and churches that play an important role in strengthening Gagana Samoa (the Samoan Language). Language is important for the foundations of our overall wellbeing.”
Gagana Samoa is the third most spoken language across New Zealand, and Ara’s Samoan learners are our largest cohort of Pacific learners.
In celebration of Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa there are three events occurring at Ara:
Opening Ceremony Monday 31 May 12PM CITY CAMPUS RAKAIA CENTRE
PISA (Pacific Island Students of Ara) are hosting a formal ‘ava opening ceremony in the Rakaia Centre beginning at 12PM. The audience won’t be partaking in the ‘ava 😊 but it will be a beautiful ceremony!
Performance Tuesday 01 June 10AM TIMARU CAMPUS LIBRARY
Come along to the Timaru Campus Library at 10AM-12PM to watch a performance of Fa’ataupati (dance) by Fred Stefano
Samoa Language Week Activity Tuesday 01 June 12PM CITY CAMPUS LIBRARY
Join us in the City Campus Library 12-1PM to create a Pacific inspired installation that will be hung in the Student Lounge, Tahatika. We have some blank canvas blocks to stretch cool fabrics over to create a larger installation. Be part of the fun!
Performance Wednesday 02 June 12PM WOOLSTON CAMPUS STUDENT HUB
Support Shirley Boys’ High School students who will be performing at 12PM in the Woolston Campus Student Hub in celebration of Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa
Performance Thursday 03 June 11AM TIMARU CAMPUS LIBRARY
Come along to the Timaru Campus Library at 11AM-12.30PM to watch a performance of Fa’ataupati (dance), Revival Pese (singing) and Ma’ulu’ulu (dance) by Fred Stefano
We encourage you to head along to enjoy these events at your campus 😊
Meanwhile, after the political deadlock of recent weeks many of us are waiting with anticipation for Samoa’s newly sworn in (and first female!) Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa to be able to get to work.
Ara Library Blog 
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