Edited by Roimata Rokx a NZTC lecturer (Kaiarahi – Teaching and Learning Support), with the leadership of the NZTC Chief Executive Selena Fox, the design gifts of the NZTC Graphic Design team and wider team support, the resource was completed in late 2015 and launched in April 2016.

The initial drafts were a compilation of Rokx’s Māori language learning resources created for the College. Growing up Rokx was nurtured within a strong Māori context where her whanau played a significant role in shaping her identity as a Māori woman that hails from Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Awa. Her vision for the book is to see it used by early childhood centres on a daily basis in very natural ways, emerging te reo Māori words and phrases into everyday life.

This book is also excellent resource book for students, educators, parents and learners of language enthusiasts. It is easy to follow and the content page is colour coded to enable readers to locate sections of the book they are interested in.

Starting with the basics of pronunciation and singular words in te reo Māori the reader is able to learn the Māori alphabet and pronunciation of vowels and consonants words through examples of English word sounds.

As you progress through the book the singular words turn into phrases and then sentences. The structure of the book enables beginners to learn at their own pace whilst also using the resource to encourage children’s use of te reo Māori. Those who are more fluent users of te reo Māori can pick up the pace by going to pages in the book designed to extend vocabulary and understandings of tikanga Māori. A great feature in the book are explanations to common misunderstandings of appropriate use of mihi and pepeha. The explanations also come with examples of mihi and pepeha.

The book is broken down into 15 language sections and reflects areas related to early childhood learning. Each section is either filled with pictures and colourful quotes or comes with exercises that teachers can use with children to expand their knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. The book is referenced, making use of primary sources.

The book’s use of colour and pictures helps to make the book user friendly for the teachers in the early childhood sector and shows enthusiasm and thought in its the creation.

As part of NZTC’s commitment to biculturalism and bilingualism it plans to gift a copy of the resource to every early childhood centre in the country with a researched support plan for ECE teachers on how to best utilise the resource within their centres. The resource will also be available for purchase through the college by emailing books@nztertiarycollege.ac.nz

Reference

• Rokx, R.(2016), (Ed). Te Reo Māori: He taonga mō ā tātou mokopuna. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Tertiary College