To get to her reo Māori class, Jude Thompson travels an hour and a half by car and ferry each way, but she’s adamant that it’s all worth it.
Once a week, Jude travels from her small Northland community, Tūparehuia in Whangaruru, to Ngawha near Kaikohe, where she studies Te Rōnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi Level 5 with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
“I use the travel time for my study. I can have at least 3 hours of study time that day because of the travel. I never consider it too long; I just make the most of it. It's like a taonga for my study time,” she says.
After separating from her son's father, Jude needed an outlet and something to keep her busy while her son was with his father. She was advised to give reo Māori a go, and she’s glad she did, saying the learning journey has helped keep her heart full.
Jude is now in her third year of studying reo Māori with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Although she does not whakapapa Māori, her study has helped her connect deeper with her son (Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi) and community and supported her in her mahi.
“With my current mahi, my interactions with hapū and iwi are daily. My ability to grow and understand the language, culture, and tikanga has helped me understand more of my mahi and most of the conversations that I'm in.”
“The community where I live has a very high percentage of Māori. So being able to learn te reo, I feel, has made me a more valuable member of this community.”
Studying with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and under the guidance of kaiako Bruce McSheffrey has been a positive experience for Jude and something she is immensely grateful for.
“It’s important that you never feel alone while on your learning journey, and our kaiako (Bruce) facilitated that. I also want to highlight the joy and fun he brought into class with his different teaching techniques.”
“I value my time at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. In addition to their classes, there are so many other supportive ways to learn. Through the podcast (Taringa) and YouTube videos, there is a lot available. They respect all learners.”
Find out more about our reo Māori (language) programmes.
