An organisation that teaches te reo Māori at the top of the South Island has been overwhelmed by those wanting to learn in recent years.
Te Ataarangi ki Te Tauihu o Te Waka ā Maui is part of a national organisation that started in the Tasman region more than 40 years ago.
Training tutor Christine Piper said the hardest part for beginners is walking through the door. Te Ataarangi is unique as there's no English and no books.
"The first night the students come in they are sitting in an immersion environment, whether it just be for five minutes and then it breaks out to longer and longer," she said.
But the organisation receives little government funding, so it's using Matariki to get creative in order to keep the mahi going.
They've been making calendars to fundraise for a few years now, but this year's is unique for a couple of reasons.
Mathew Tait was a student and is now a kaiako. He helped create this year's calendar, or maramataka, which is based on artwork from the community.
"We sort of thought mono prints and then over which we could do some lino cuts. Print over the top and then just paint or draw on top of that," he explained.
"We need to raise money... we're sort of run on the smell of an oily rag."
This year's maramataka uses the lunar calendar, which means the months don't start on the first.
Piper said for years they've been teaching that June is Hune in te reo but because Māori use the lunar calendar, that isn't exactly correct.
"We just wanted to stimulate the conversation, actually, and it's going quite well. You just have to turn the page on a different day."
SHARE ME