Matapiata | Te Reo Hāpai

Tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou 

Ko Keri Opai ahau, he kōhatu i ngahoro mai i ngā pari ninihi o te tupuna tauheke maunga o Taranaki.  

Ko Te Atiawa, Ngāti Ruanui, Waiohua, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Porou ngā iwi. 

Kia ora anō tātou katoa 

He mana tō te kupu

Words have great power

Keri Opai

When I began this project, creating Te Reo Hāpai — The Language of Enrichment, the question I was asked mostly was — why? Why create a glossary of te reo Māori terms for use in the mental health, addiction and disability sectors? He aha te painga? — What is the benefit?

My answer was “He mana tō te kupu” — “Words have great power” — a whakataukītanga kōrero (proverbial saying) that our tauheke (elder) of Taranaki, Huirangi Waikerepuru, would often quote. Words have the power to explain, express and define how we understand and experience the world. If our knowledge and use of words is limited, inappropriate, outdated or unclear, this can be inherently conveyed in communicating our understandings and experiences.

Te Reo Hāpai is about enriching language, including ‘words of great power’ in te reo from a strengths base and a mana enhancing Māori worldview for the benefit of tāngata whai ora.

Wherever possible, Te Reo Hāpai combines the lived experience of tāngata whai ora and tāngata whaikaha with clinician and practitioner input. Feedback, information and guidance has also been provided by an expert advisory panel in creating over 200 interpretations for the unique terminology used by the mental health, addiction and disability sectors.

Te Reo Hāpai is by no means a comprehensive word list. More te reo research and creation in these sectors is urgently needed to continue to enhance language used. Space is available in this resource for readers to note iwi, rohe and kaumātua variations and contribute to future growth of Te Reo Hāpai – The Language of Enrichment.

I hope this is useful e hoa mā!

Tēnā rā koutou katoa.

Nāku noa nei
Nā Keri

Can you tell us about the mahi you’re leading and the impact you’re seeing in your community?

I’m grateful to say that the Māori terms, words and concepts that I create as part of Te Reo Hāpai and beyond have far reaching positive impacts on Māori communities and others, especially indigenous ones, around the world.

What drew you to this kaupapa, and how has your journey shaped the way you approach this work?

It started as a correction exercise as many words and terms in official documents were erroneous. Then it grew into creation of terms that didn’t exist in te reo Māori. And then it blossomed into creating terms that were Māori, indigenous and strengths-based.

What do you love most about the mahi?

The positive feedback from people/whānau who feel the benefit from mana-enhancing terms.

What are some of the most powerful stories of transformation you’ve witnessed through your work?

Literally, too many to mention.

What have the challenges been?

Mainly criticisms from non-speakers of te reo Māori.

What inspires you and who have your greatest teachers and mentors been?

Our tūpuna and our kaumātua.

Huirangi Waikerepuru.

What’s one whakaaro or piece of advice you’d give to others working in this space who want to create meaningful change?

Unfortunately, no-one else is working in this space so I would encourage others to become very fluent in our reo in able to perhaps work in this space in the future.