A swimming sports event on the Kapiti Coast has given a few hundred local kids the chance to flex their skills in the water - while speaking entirely in te reo.
By Pokere Paewai of RNZ.
Three schools from Ōtaki, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rito, Te Kura ā iwi o Whakatupuranga Rua Mano and Te Kura o Ōtaki, took part in Kauroa Ahurei in Paraparaumu on Thursday, learning about water safety in a space created specifically for te reo Māori.
Kauora Ahurei organiser Terina Raureti said the idea for the event came from her nieces and nephews, who wanted the chance to use their swimming skills in a competitive setting.
"It's really important to me that they don't have to change who they are to come to Kauora, and that's the whole point that it was created, because we want our kids to be able to fully immerse in their mātauranga, in their worldview, in their reo Māori, to learn how to swim and to engage in the taiao and the wai in a way that is actually reflective of how they live their lives."
The events are based on the pūkenga wai (water competencies) of Kauora, one of those pūkenga is kauawhi, which involves putting on a lifejacket before jumping in the pool.
"It's just knowing that they are in these competitive environments putting on a lifejacket, the stress and just having that moment to think, 'oh yeah, that's how you put it on properly', and we've got to put it on properly before that buzzer goes off.
"So yeah, it's just kind of teaching everyone about the importance of equipment as well, and it's not just about the swimming skills, it's about all the resources around it as well."
Raureti said a lot of the time whānau aren't actually going to the water to swim, they're going to dive or to fish, so it's crucial that kids learn about the equipment too.
There were a lot of inequities in water safety statistics between Māori and non-Māori, and that was reflected in the inequities in access to aquatics and water safety programmes, she said.
"So teaching our kids to love the water, rather than teaching them about all the dangers and all the things. Because we do get stereotyped as a community that we are at high risk... but we're actually a really beautiful water community, and it's just about making sure that our tamariki know that about the water, and where the risks are versus what you can do safely."
Jade Ratapu works at Te Kōhanga Reo o Raukawa but she was also there as a parent, with her son taking part in his first swimming sports event.
"I te hīkaka i te ata nei, oho moata, whakariterite i ōna kākahu. I tae mai ki te puna i kitea i te marea i āhua pā te āmaimai ki ā ia, engari kātahi anō i tutuki pai i tōna reihi."
(He was excited this morning, woke up early and got his clothes ready, but when we arrived at the pool and saw all the people he felt a bit nervous, but his race ended well.)
Ratapu feels very lucky that her son can attend a swim class every week, also run by Kauora, that is conducted in te reo.
"Ka timata āhua āmaimai ngā tamariki, kāre e pīrangi kia ruku, kia māku ngā karu, engari i te mutunga iho kua kaha kitea ngā painga i tēnei rā, ki ngā tamariki kōhanga o mua kei rō i te puna papaku i te puna hōhonu hoki i tēnei rā, kua kite i te māia."
([The kids at kōhanga reo] often start off nervous, they don't want to dive in or get their eyes wet, but we have really seen the benefits today for the kids who used to be in kōhanga and are now in the shallow pool or even the deep pool, we've really seen the confidence in them.)
Nukuao and Hawaiki are just two of the volunteers who help keep the Ahurei running.
"Ki au nei ko te whakahirahiratanga ko tō tātau nei reo Māori me te kite i te pakaritanga ō ngā kura Māori, me ētahi kura Pākehā anō hoki e kaha aro ana ki tō tātau nei reo, waihoki ki ō rātau pakaritanga i roto i te reo," Nukuao said.
(To me, what is most important about this event is our language, and seeing the strength of the Māori schools, and some of the Pākehā schools who are paying attention to the language, in speaking te reo.)
Hawaiki said the event was about whakawhanaungatanga, kotahitanga and friendly competition between the three kura.
"It's cool to teach all the kids Kauora and te reo Māori and to teach them swimming in a Māori way."
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