Ahakoa he rerekē noa atu te ao i tipu ake ai a Rob Bromley i tāna e mōhio nei i tēnei rā, nō te ohinga ake, ka rongo ia i tētahi hao ki te reo Māori. Hei ko tāna, ko te rere o ngā waiata i te kura, ko te rere o te karakia, ko ngā kupu whānui noa iho tāna i rongo ai i taua wā rā. Pakeke rawa mai, kātahi tonu ia ka mōhio, he tōmina nui tōna ki te whai i te ara o te reo Māori.
Nōna e rangatahi ana, he rite tonu tana rongo i ngā karawhiunga mō te reo pēnei i te “kua tō te rā ki runga i te reo Māori”, “kāhore ōna painga, kāhore ōna take”, “me ū rawa ki te reo Pākehā”. Nā konā a Pihi ka tū, a Rae ka puku, a Manawa ka wera, ka whakaaro ake rā ia me pēhea e whakahēngia ai ēnei karawhiunga mutunga mai o te poroheahea. I te mutunga iho, ka tau i roto i ia, kāhore nei pea he ara rangatira kē atu i te ako i te reo Māori.
Te āhua nei, ehara tērā whakatau āna i te whakatau mokemoke, inā hoki i kapi katoa ngā kura He Pī Ka Pao o Te Whanganui a Tara i te mahi a te tauira, me te aha, kīhai i pahure tā Rob i konau ai mōna, arā, kia whai wāhi atu ia ki tētahi akomanga reo Māori.
Tau kotahi mai, ka waimarie a Rob i te wātea o tētahi tūranga ki roto i tētahi kura He Pī Ka Pao, me tana tere whakaū i tana hiahia ki te whakakapi i te tūranga rā. Hei tā Rob, “he nui te noho tahi a te kaiako ki te tauira, me te mea hoki, ko te tuatahi o ngā wheako, ko te whakawhanaungatanga, ko te tuakiritanga, ā, nā tērā wheako i kitea ai tētahi oranga mō tōku āpōpō”.
“Tau atu, tau mai, ko te ako i te reo te mea i pai ai taku ao. Kei reira taku oranga. He oranga ngākau. Nāna i hihiko ai taku wairua”. Koia ēnei, ko ngā tohu nui katoa i mōhio ai a Rob e tika ana kia whāia tonuhia te reo Māori, i totohe ai hoki ia ki te whakatutuki i ngā kaupapa reo a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, atu i ngā ihoiho o te maunga ki tōna pīnakitanga.
Ka nui hoki te mihi a Rob ki ōna kaiako o roto i ngā tau, inārā, ko te manawanui me te whakaaro nui o aua kaiako tētahi anō wāhanga nui i taea rā e ia ngā kaupapa reo nei, otirā, i ngā wā o te haurokuroku.
Hei tā Rob, “ko taku tino hiahia kia whakahokia tētahi paku wāhi o ngā painga, o ngā taonga kua takohatia mai ki a au”. Nāwai i hou atu a Rob ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa hei tauira, kua tū hei kaiako mō Te Rōnakitanga o Te Reo. Anō ki a ia, mā te pērā rawa, mā te tuku i tōna katoa ki te reo e ea ai tana wāhi ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori.
Once the learner, now the teacher
Note for the reader: This story was interviewed and written in te reo Māori first. The following English version is not a direct translation and has been altered slightly for the English reader. If you’re interested in better understanding the te reo Māori version, sign up to our beginner Papa Reo or He Pī Ka Pao programme.
Rob, who is of Pākehā descent, has come full circle at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, graduating as a tauira and then returning as a kaiako for Te Rōnakitanga ki te reo Kairangi Level 5. He believes that dedicating his life to te reo Māori will fulfil his contribution to its preservation.
Rob reflects on growing up in a world different from what he sees now. Although his home life and childhood were grounded in the mainstream Western world, he recalls being somewhat surrounded by the echoes of te reo Māori. However, it wasn’t until he reached adulthood that he realised te reo Māori was something that he really wanted to pursue.
Rob says, “te reo Māori wasn’t prominent in my life, but the little reo that I was exposed to, was the waiata at school, and karakia.”
During his teens, Rob would often hear remarks towards te reo Māori, such as ‘te reo Māori is a dying language’, ’it has no use, it has no purpose’, and ’stick to the English language.’ As a result, Rob would find himself becoming quite frustrated and downhearted, leading him to think about how he could prove these comments wrong.
Ultimately, this is what made him decide to learn te reo Māori.
“My initial thought was, well, there’s probably no better way to respond than actually learning the language.”
Rob says that this decision was hard to action, especially since all He Pī Ka Pao programmes in the Wellington region in 2017 had reached full capacity, so his desire to learn te reo Māori had to be put on hold.
In 2018, Rob was fortunate to get a place in that programme and was able to begin his journey and subsequently, his life direction.
He says, "years come and go, but pursuing the language is what has enriched my life.”
This clarity made it evident to Rob that his journey with te reo Māori needed to continue. It also served as a constant reminder of why he started learning, especially when it got tough, and ultimately lead him to graduating from Te Pīnakitanga ki Te Reo Kairangi Level 7 and then becoming a kaiako.
Rob says, “It gives me a sense of purpose. It’s a soulful existence, and it has ignited my spirit. My true desire is to give back a small part of all the great treasures that have been bestowed upon me.”
Rob deeply appreciates all his kaiako throughout the years, particularly their patience and wisdom, acknowledging them as another key element in his engagement with the language.
“The relationship between the kaiako and tauira is significant, and one of the first experiences is making connections, and from that alone, I discovered a new direction for my future.”
