Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
14 minutes ago
EIT graduate Aroha Ngaronoa is continuing her te reo Māori journey through the Bachelor of Arts (Māori).
The 28-year-old graduated with the New Zealand Diploma in Te Reo Māori (Immersion) (Level 5) and is now in the second year of the Bachelor of Arts (Māori) at EIT’s Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale.
“My Nan wanted me to study,” Aroha said.
“My grandfather and I would sit at the dinner table, and my job was to transcribe for him because he didn’t know how to use a laptop, and neither did she. But in doing that job for him, I see now how a lot of knowledge died with him, and that concerns me.”
While te reo Māori was present throughout her upbringing, Aroha said it was not spoken directly to her as a child.
“My grandparents spoke to each other early in the mornings, and my bedroom was beside theirs, so that was the language I awakened to, and that was my exposure.”
Watching older generations pass away reinforced for Aroha the importance of continuing to learn and carry te reo Māori forward within her whānau.
Her confidence and ability have grown considerably since she began studying at EIT, enabling her to take on important cultural roles for her whānau.
“Recently, my niece Rose passed away, and I brought her on with karanga, a tikanga I learnt at EIT. On her last night with us, I delivered my kōrero in Māori.
“To be able to confidently carry out those roles for my whānau is a privilege. Te reo has become so normal for me now, and my confidence has grown not only in speaking the language, but in understanding that te reo Māori has a place in my everyday life and within my whānau.”
One of the highlights of the diploma was the support and teaching she received throughout the year.
“I loved it. I have no living grandparents, so being taught by Whaea Hīria brings a different type of appreciation. She shares her knowledge, values and life lessons that my own grandparents might have passed on.”
Aroha also enjoyed the programme’s assessments and the opportunities they created for her to strengthen her connections with her marae.
“I don’t want to sound like a nerd, but I enjoyed the assessments,” she said.
“One in particular required me to return to my marae and make meaningful connections. Without that assessment, I would not have known how to navigate that process or even considered myself someone who belonged in those wānanga.
“The diploma gave me opportunities to step outside of what was familiar, reconnect with my marae and realise that I had a place within those spaces.”
Her degree studies are now building on the foundations she developed during the diploma.
“In the diploma, we built our foundations through whakarongo, kōrero, pānui and tuhituhi. Moving into Level 6, we look more closely at the linguistic and grammatical structures of the language.”
She particularly values Whaea Lou’s high-quality teaching and the resources available to students.
Aroha said she would recommend studying te reo Māori at EIT because of the people and the opportunities offered through Te Uranga Waka.
“The staff at Te Uranga Waka are mostly second-language learners themselves, so they bring their different experiences, approaches and teaching styles to the learning of te reo Māori.
“EIT has also opened many doors for me to contribute in cultural settings. Some days, that looks like being a kaikaranga, and other days it is me in the kitchen doing the dishes. For me, both are equally important.
“The main takeaway has been learning that contributing to kaupapa Māori is not about where you stand, but about being willing to show up and do what is needed.”
After completing her degree next year, Aroha plans to continue with honours.
“This journey is bigger than just the qualifications. For me, it is about continuing to invest in te reo within my whānau and growing it within our own homes.”
The following comments by her EIT senior lecturer, Hiria Tumoana, a native speaker of te reo Māori, were highly supportive and praiseworthy of Aroha.
“He wahine tau te mauri. He ngākau māhaki. Hāngai tonu hoki ki tōna ingoa, he wahine arohanui. Kua mārō kē tana piki i te ara o Tāwhaki ki te whai i ōna wawata, moemoeā.”
“Ki tōku nei mōhio, ka eke Panuku, eke Tangaroa, angitū aia! Ka pūāwai ana moeamoeā! He kaha! He Māia! He ū ki tāna e whai nei!”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/22/te-reo-maori-diploma-helps-preserve-language-within-whanau-eit-hawkes-bay-and-tairawhiti/