Link buses with te reo Māori audio announcements will begin service this week, a first in New Zealand. This includes all four Link bus services (City, Inner, Outer and Tāmaki), a total of 70 buses.
English audio announcements had previously been on board some Link services, but not every route. Auckland Transport has worked closely with the operator of the services, NZ Bus, to make these bi-lingual announcements possible.
AT Chief Executive, Shane Ellison says this is another step towards bringing te reo into the everyday lives of Aucklanders.
“These announcements are about encouraging people to learn the language. By hearing te reo every day, I am hoping Aucklanders, and particularly our young people will seek it out and understand that the reo makes Auckland unique.”
NZ Bus General Manager of Operations, Claire Neville says the company is delighted to be part of the project. “The Link services have become an important part of Auckland City and now te reo will be part of everyday life for the thousands of passengers who travel on these services.”
This follows the introduction of te reo Māori announcement on AT train services last year, also a first for Aotearoa. Tipa Compain, AT’s Maori Policy and Engagement Manager, says that “if we can bring the importance of the language to more people in Auckland, then that’s a big step in the right direction.”
Te reo Māori language on the Link services continues Auckland Transport’s contribution to Auckland Council’s Māori Language Policy. This policy recognises te reo Māori as a cultural treasure and an official language of New Zealand and is New Zealand’s point of difference in the world. AT is committed to the Māori language being seen, heard, spoken and learnt throughout the transport network.
Te whakarewanga o Te reo Māori ki te ratonga Link
Ka whakahautia te oro reo Māori ki runga i ngā pahi Link i tēnei wiki, he tuatahitanga ki Aotearoa. Waihoki, i ngā ratonga e whā (Tāone, Ā-roto, Ā-waho me Tāmaki), 70 katoa ngā pahi.
I muri, ko te whakahau o te oro reo pākehā ki runga i ētehi o ngā ratonga Link heoi, ehara mō ia ara. He mahi ngātahi tēnei mō Auckland Transport me NZ Bus, kia reo ruahia ngā pānui e taea ana.
E ai ki te Tāhūhū Rangapū, i a Shane Ellison, he hāngai mua tēnei kia Māori te ārero ā ngā kainoho o Tāmaki. “He whakahau ki te tini ngerongero ka kake ki runga i ēnei ratonga, te whakaako i tō tāua reo.
E ai ki te Kaiwhakahaere Matua o NZ Bus, i a Claire Neville, e harikoa ana te kamupene mō te mahi ngātahi ki tēnei kaupapa. “He ratonga hirahira ngā pahi Link ki te tāone nui o Tāmaki, kia tangata whenua ai te reo ki te tini ngerongero ka kake ake i ēnei ratonga.”
Nō tērā tau, he whai mua tēnei i te whakahau o ngā pānui reo Māori ki runga i te ratonga tereina o AT. He tuatahitanga anō mō Aotearoa. E ai te Kaiwhakahaere o te tira hono me ngā kaupapa here Māori, i a Tipa Compain, “mehemea mātou whakahirahira ake i te reo ki te whānui o ngā kainoho o Tāmaki, he ara whakamua tēnei ki te ara tika.”
He tāpaetanga te reo Māori ki runga i te ratonga Link ki ngā kaupapa here o Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki. Ka āhukahuka tēnei kaupapa here i te reo me ōnā tikanga waihoki, te reo motuhake o Aotearoa kia whakatairanga ake ki te Ao. Ka manawanui tonu a AT ki te whakatairanga ake i te reo, kia kite, kia rangona, kia rere, kia ako ki te ngā ratonga waka whānui.
