Tau ke (magnificent) to Air Chathams on the company’s commencement of its inaugural scheduled service from Paraparaumu to Auckland! The airline took front page honours in The Dominion Post on 20 August with the headline “Kāpiti’s new airline takes off”.
If you didn’t know, Rēkohu (Chatham Island) is the home of Ngāti Mutunga and the base for Air Chathams in Wharekauri, otherwise known as the Chatham Islands. No surprise that the inbound Saab 340, flown by airline CEO Craig Emeny and son Duane, received a powhiri by the tangata whenua of Kāpiti.
This is all very interesting, you might say, but what’s in it for me?
Next month is Te Reo Māori Week, Māori Language Week, where Aotearoa celebrates our official langauage, Te Reo Māori. This article challenges what you may do to celebrate Te Reo Māori if you aren’t already.
Believe it or not, there are large waiting lists for people wanting to learn our official language. It’s a great time for those of us in the aviation community to embrace Te Reo Māori and do the simple things well.
For instance, getting the pram out of Paraparaumu or cap out of Kāpiti. It’s time we put these mispronounciations to rest—they undermine the mana of place names or, worse still, a person’s Māori name.
When learning to fly, I thought Māori place names pronounced by my instructor and the air traffic controllers were foreign until I referenced the map and learnt that Owcotree was in fact Aokautere, named after the great Rangitāne chief Te Aokautere. It was a lightbulb moment for someone born and raised in the heart of Ngāti Porou.
However, time has moved on and as a regular traveller on the main trunk line now I am constantly delighted by the Air New Zealand cabin crew public announcements in Te Reo Māori. The mihi and the friendly ma te wa greetings are refreshing, authentic and warmly received by all.
The airline’s strategy of embracing the language and the culture is working for this customer and, I suspect, many others, so kia kaha Christopher Luxon and the board, tau ke!
Given it’s Māori Language Week this month, what are the leadership opportunities for pilots, ATC and the wider aviation community to celebrate and support the government’s goal for a million Kiwis to be speaking basic reo by 2040?
There are lots of online resources available for common greetings such as Kia ora or Tena koe and the Maori vowel sounds. Perhaps learning the correct pronounciation of Paraparaumu, Motueka, Motunau and Whakatane, and using your new language skills liberally. Take a page out of Guyon Espiner’s and Jack Tame’s book—they are great proponents of Te Reo.
Check out the links below to help you on your flightpath. Alternatively, how about using Kia ora (hi) or sign off with Nga mihi (many thanks) in your next email, or Tena Koutou perhaps in corporate publications?
It’s not hard. Have a go—it’s really simple. Take the lead and celebrate Te Reo Māori Week in your role as a customer agent, pilot, instructor, cabin crew, avionics/airframe engineer, air traffic controller, leader, regulator, lecturer, board member in our aviation community. Ka tau ke!
Maori Language week will be held from 10–16 September.
Resources: www.radionz.co.nz/collections/kiaora // www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/resources
- Report by Mahanga Maru, photography by Mark Coote via Air Chathams.