How do you make te reo 'cool'
for rangatahi?
It's not only a question,
but a goal for newly graduated
PhD student Hinurewa Poutu.
A question Poutu believes
will influence the survival
of te reo Maori in the future.
Pere Wihongi reports.
A top achievement, one that
contributes new knowledge.
I'm excited and happy.
My family and friends are all here.
This product
of the Te Aho Matua philosophy
has taken on a new hat.
Te Aho Matua leading her on the
pathway of language revitalisation.
It served as a foundation
for her PhD.
I wholeheartedly believe in the
philosophy of Te Aho Matua.
It nurtured me, it fostered the
language within as I was growing up.
I'm of the Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa
Maori and Wharekura generation.
The title of her thesis
is 'Kia Tiori Nga Pipi'.
She looked into what it would take
for wharekura students
to speak Maori.
A key finding of my research
showed that more emphasis
on teaching conversational
language is needed
so that youth can better relate to
expressing themselves in Te Reo.
Poutu focused on students
from wharekura
in the bottom of the North Island.
And she believes the survival of the
language lies in the hands of youth.
One student said to me
'make te reo cool'.
So to make it fun, entertaining;
to make it relevant to the interests
of our youth.
Never ending passion
and perseverance.
Te Reo is the foundation
of my research,
so I am passionate about initiatives
to revive the language.
That's what I'm doing.
That and working with youth.
A credit to her people,
achieving beyond measure.
Pere Wihongi, Te Karere.
