Recently, I have had a lot of discussion with my colleague Te Mako Orzecki about te reo Māori and particularly about the pronunciation of our names.
We both agree on the importance of correct pronunciation, and, as former kaiako, we can think of several occasions when students’ names were mispronounced. I remember how students felt when their names were mispronounced and the disappointing and upsetting reaction from them. On the other hand, a fond memory I have is when a former colleague of mine came to me at the start of the year with her class list and asked me how to pronounce names correctly. A wee bit of preparation can lead to a positive start to a classroom relationship, and we know how important this is.
At times, Te Mako and I have been a bit slack correcting pronunciation, but we have been staunch lately, and this has been well-received with apologies and the desire to be correct.
In our discussions, we have talked about our names and experiences and wanted to share them to highlight the importance of pronunciation and the meaning behind names. I was interested to hear about the experiences and kōrero behind Te Mako’s name.
Te Mako and I would like to continue to gather ideas on te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori ideas to support whānau, learners, and staff. If you have any questions or stories to share please leave a comment below, or tweet us: @anaruwhite or @OrzeckiT, or use the hashtags #correctPronunciation and #tereo.
He rauemi
- CORE Education te reo Māori Courses: Te Reo Puāwai Māori, Te Reo Manahua Māori
- CORE Education Māori Resources: Kīwaha, Whakataukī and Te Whānau Pū Cards
- CORE Education Samoan Language Course: Gagana Samoa – Talanoa Mai
- CORE Education Blog: How important is pronunciation anyway? How hard is it really?
- CORE Education Blog: Adding tohutō (macrons) on devices for te reo Māori
- Connected Educator NZ: A global professional learning event – all online, all for free.

Anaru White and Te Mako Orzecki

Latest posts by Anaru White and Te Mako Orzecki (see all)
- Does Pronunciation Matter? Is it Māori or Maarry? - February 16, 2017
- He rerekē tēnei, i tēnā — Each has its own uniqueness - February 2, 2017
Kia ora
The importance of the correct pronunciation of place names can’t be forgotten. It is difficult to show students the way when all around them the media is not getting it right. At the top of the south there are several places where the Maori place names are butchered on the radio, by the DJ’s and on ads. The most brutal is the addition of ‘chew’ in Motueka (my grandfather always said there is no chew in there and if you can’t say it correctly at least say Mot-a-wake-a, or just Mot), although there are several ‘tree’s’ around the place as well, for example: Awa-tree (Awatere) and Moo-tree (Moutere).
Nāku noa
Rachel
Kia ora Rachel
Thanks for your comment and I agree with you about the frustrations when still presenters mispronounce names. Knowledge is key and correct pronunciation is a part of this.
Ngā mihi
Anaru
Te wainēnē hoki!
Kia ora e te tuakana