VOCABLE Du 18 au 31 octobre 2018 (^) • 15
Société I Culture maorie I NOUVELLE-ZÉLANDE I A
M
ax Smitheram, 54, has attempt-
ed to learn te reo Māori (theMāori language) on numerous occasions, but
he has never stuck with it – until now. A
pakeha [European New Zealander], Smith-
eram attends free weekly classes and prac-
tises at home with his Uruguayan partner,
who is also learning the language. “I had a
longstanding wish to learn Māori. It is re-
ally interesting to have the opportunity to
understand different ways of thinking and
understand more about my home,” said
Smitheram, an environmental planner.
THE GUA R DI A N ELEANOR AINGE ROY
- Smitherham is not alone. Te reo is undergo-
ing a revival in New Zealand, with jam-packed
classes and waiting lists now common. Māori
language teachers from Auckland in the North
Island to Dunedin and Invercargill in the
South say they are unable to meet demand for
their services and free classes routinely draw
hundreds of students.
A STRIKING COMEBACK
- John McCaffery, a language expert at the
University of Auckland school of education,
says the language is thriving, with other in-
digenous peoples travelling to New Zealand
to learn how Māori has made such a striking
comeback. “It has been really dramatic, the
past three years in particular, Māori has gone
mainstream,” he said. - According to Statistics New Zealand, the
proportion of Māori people able to hold an
everyday conversation in te reo decreased 3 .7% - to attempt to try / to stick, stuck, stuck with it to
persevere / to attend to go to / class lesson /
longstanding existing for a long time / way means,
method. - to undergo, underwent, undergone to go through, to
experience / revival comeback, return / jam-packed full
to capacity with people / common frequent / to meet,
met, met to satisfy, to fulil / routinely regularly / to
draw, drew, drawn to attract. - striking impressive, spectacular / to thrive, thrived or
throve, thrived or thriven to lourish / people tribe /
dramatic impressive. - according to as stated/reported by... / proportion
percentage / to decrease to reduce, to go down /
MA
ORI HAS GONE
MAINSTREAM
Maori makes a comeback (mainstream conventional, accepted by many)
Maoris represent about 15 % of the population in New Zealand. Their culture was repressed to the point of extinction several
times when the European settlers came to the islands in the 19th century. It was only in 1987 that Maori became one of the
country’s oicial languages. Times have changed, and now all New Zealanders want to learn to speak it.
Maoris welcoming the British & Irish Lions at Waitangi
Treaty Grounds. (Paul Greenwood/Shutterstock/SIPA)