Jacob McGregor. Photo: SUPPLIED
One of the new initiatives for this year's Wiki o te Reo Māori is Waha Kōrero - a speech competition aimed at intermediate and advanced speakers.
And with the winner taking home a $10,000 cash prize and the mana of placing first, some of the nation's best speakers will descend on Te Whanganui a Tara this weekend to flex their te reo muscles.
Among the finalists is Tamati Waaka, who says Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is often about encouraging new people to take up te reo so he is happy to see a kaupapa designed to motivate the growing pool of knowledgeable speakers.
"He hiki, he tōtō mai i te hunga iti te reo, paku te reo, kore reo rānei ki te tahuri mai ki tō tātau nā reo, nō reira ko tenei kaupapa ki au ko te oranga o tēnei he kaupapa wairua ngahau tēnei mā te hunga kua whiwhi, kua mōhio, kua matatau kē ki te reo e whai wāhi ai rātau katoa ki te Wiki o te Reo Māori."
"[Te Wiki o te Reo Māori] is about bringing in people with only a little bit or no te reo to start learning, but to me [Waha Kōrero] is something entertaining for the people who already have that knowledge so that everyone can play a part in Te Wiki o te Reo Māori."
Tamati Waaka. Photo: SUPPLIED
Waaka - who is well known among te reo speakers - believes when his fellow competitors see his name among the finalists they will lift their game to meet the occasion.
"I ētahi wā ki te uru koe ki tētahi whakataetae, mehemea i te purei whutupōro koe kā kite koe i te hoariri whitu pūtu te tāroa, ruarau kirokereme te taumaha ka piki tō wairua ka kaha kē atu tō tākaro, ka kaha kē atu tō whakataetae."
"Sometimes if you are playing rugby and you see someone on the opposition who is seven feet tall and weighs 200kgs it lifts your spirits and you play even harder."
Another competitor, Jacob McGregor, said he was excited to take the stage but is feeling the nerves after seeing the caliber of other speakers.
Waha Kōrero was a great opportunity for more advanced speakers when much of the resources and funding for te reo was aimed at beginners, he said.
"Beforehand I was a teacher and I found that many people started, they learned te reo Māori and then they left and there weren't as many spaces or opportunities for them to practice using their intermediate or advanced level of te reo Māori so I think this is an awesome opportunity and hopefully the start of a long-term journey and more kaupapa like this in the future."
No matter how much te reo someone speaks, the most important thing was to use it, McGregor said.
Hinurewa Poutu is part of the judging panel for Waha Kōrero which helped whittle down the competitors from a shortlist of 40 to 12 finalists.
Photo: SUPPLIED
Although there were a few well known speakers in the competition, she was surprised at how many of the competitors had only been speaking te reo for two or three years.
"Ko ētahi o te hunga e whai wāhi mai ki ngā whiringa whāiti kātahi i ako i te reo Māori i ngā tau tata nei, I whai wāhi atu ki ngā akoranga rūmaki reo, ki ngā kaupapa pērā i a Takiura nā te koingo nui ki tō tātau reo."
"Some of the people who made it onto the shortlist have only learned te reo Māori in the last few years, they've gone through full immersion study in places like Te Wānanga Takiura because of their strong desire for the language."
The tangihanga of Kiingi Tuheitia showed the pinnacle of Māori oratory, Poutu said, but Waha Kōrero would be a bit different as speakers are not bound to follow tikanga so closely.
By putting forward a cash prize, Te Taura Whiri - the Māori Language Commission - was showing the value of te reo, she said.
"Ko taua paraihe me kī he whakaatu te mana me te uara o te reo ki te motu."
"The prize shows the whole country the value and prestige of te reo."
The 12 finalists will perform at the Tākina Convention Centre in Wellington on Saturday night.
