Musician and kaiako, Jordyn Rapana, also known as Jordyn with a Why, began her reo Māori journey with her husband, Thomas Rapana (Ngāpuhi), during her pregnancy with their eldest child. Their goal was to raise their tamariki in a Māori-speaking home.

“I ahau e hapū ana, i te whakaaro māua ko taku tāne, you know what, kei te hiahia māua kia tupu Māori mai ngā tamariki,” says Jordyn.

Growing up in South Auckland with Samoan heritage on her mum’s side, Jordyn’s upbringing was heavily influenced by Samoan culture, while her connection to her Māori heritage on her dad’s side (Tainui a Whiro and Ngāti Koata ki Whaingaroa) remained dormant.

When the couple started their own whānau in 2017, they shared a desire to ensure their tamariki felt a strong connection to their Māori whakapapa. Their commitment to this accelerated in 2019 when they enrolled in Te Wānanga Takiura in Auckland for a year of learning reo Māori via total immersion.

Soon after this they enrolled at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and completed Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi Level 6 at the Māngere campus.

Jordyn's brother and sister-in-law joined them on their reo Māori journey, allowing them to grow their learning environment and expand their reo speaking community.

The transition to speaking Māori at home has been challenging. While their tamariki adapted quickly, making te reo Māori the primary language amongst adults has proven to be more difficult.

“Kei te huri tonu te reo Māori hei reo mātāmua i waenganui i a mātou, i ngā pakeke, to be honest, nā te mea ko te reo Pākehā te reo tūtakitaki,” she says.

Jordyn admits that learning te reo hasn’t been easy for her and her partner, but her tamariki and the desire to honour her dad, who never had the privilege of learning te reo Māori, were significant motivators.

“Kua kite ahau i te koha nui a taku reo Māori ki taku whānau, kua huri katoa taku ao i taku ako i taku reo Māori,” she says.

Both Jordyn and her brother have now secured kaiako roles at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, allowing them to further immerse themselves in te reo in an environment where their creativity can flourish.

When asked about the similarities between teaching te reo Māori and composing music, Jordyn explains that when composing Māori songs, she sends her first draft to a reo Māori expert to ensure everything is correct before releasing it.

“This process is like teaching. I have to know exactly what I’m doing. I must be open to learning myself because to learn is to teach, and to teach is to learn. Essentially, being a student in both music and teaching is what makes them relatable,” she says.

For Jordyn and her whānau, te reo Māori and culture has become normalised within their whare but she is hopeful that it will become a natural part of life for all those living in Aotearoa and beyond, especially when it comes to music.

“Kia Māori ngā waiata maha, kia rangawhāwhā ngā waiata Māori huri noa,” she says.

For those wanting to learn te reo Māori and make it a part of their daily life, Jordyn says, “don’t be mistaken, acquiring the language is a life-long journey. You have to think of it as intergenerational transformation. Do the mahi now so that your kids don’t have to do it.”

Tā te kaipuoro Māori whai i te reo me tana tūpono ki tētahi tūranga kaiako

He kaiwaiata, he kaiako hoki a Jordyn Rapana, ā, e mōhio whānuitia ana ko Jordyn With A Why. He mea tīmata e rāua ko tana tāne, ko Thomas Rapana (Ngāpuhi) tō rāua haerenga reo nō rāua e kōpū ana me te mātāmua o ā rāua tamariki. Ko tā rāua whāinga kia whakatupuria ā rāua tamariki e rua i tētahi kāinga kōrero Māori.

Hei tā Jordyn, “I ahau e hapū ana, i te whakaaro māua ko taku tāne, you know what, kei te hiahia māua kia tupu Māori mai ngā tamariki”.

Nōna e whakapakekengia ana i Tāmaki Makaurau ki te Tonga, i te taha tonu o tōna māmā e whakapapa nei ki Hāmoa, i whakaawe nuitia tōna ao e te ahurea o Hāmoa, me te aha, ka roa te taha o tōna pāpā, otirā, tōna taha Māori e moe rotu ana. Nō te whānautanga mai o ngā tamariki, ā, nō te tau 2017 ka tupu tētahi tōmina i roto i a rāua kia tānekaha te hononga o ā rāua tamariki ki ō rāua whakapapa Māori, haere ka roa, ka eke ngā rā o te 2019 kātahi tonu rā ka tōrōpuku i a rāua te tōmina i rangona ai i tōna rua tau i mua mai, ka kotahi tau rawa tā rāua rumaki i a rāua i Te Wānanga Takiura o Tāmaki Makaurau. Nō muri iho, ka whakawhiti atu rāua ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, otirā, ki Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi, Taumata 6, ka piki ai ki Te Pīnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi, Taumata 7.

I whai wāhi atu hoki te tungāne me te taokete o Jordyn ki tēnei hīkoi, nā konā i tupu ai tētahi hapori ako i te reo, i tupu ai hoki tētahi hapori kōrero Māori. Kei konā tonu ngā uauatanga o te whakamātāmua i te reo Māori i te kāinga. I tau noa te reo ki ngā arero o ngā tamariki, engari anō ngā pakeke. Hei tāna, “Kei te huri tonu te reo Māori hei reo mātāmua i waenganui i a mātou, i ngā pakeke, to be honest, nā te mea ko te reo Pākehā te reo tūtakitaki,”.

Kei te tino mōhio a Jordyn rāua ko tāna hoa rangatira ki ngā piere nuku o te ako i te reo Māori. Ahakoa tērā, mei kore ake ā rāua tamariki i mārohirohi ai rāua i ngā wā o te papatoiake. I tua atu i tērā, ko te hiahia o roto i a Jordyn kia whakanuia tana pāpā, kāore nei i whai wāhi atu ki te reo, tētahi kaikukume i a ia kia i manawarahi i roto i ngā mahi.

Hei tāna, “kua kite ahau i te koha nui a taku reo Māori ki taku whānau, kua huri katoa taku ao i taku ako i taku reo Māori”.

I riro ētahi tūranga kaiako i a Jordyn rāua ko tōna tungāne i Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, me te aha, ka kitea e rāua tētahi wāhi e rumaki tonu ai rāua i te ao Māori, e wātea ai hoki rāua ki te whāngai i te ahuatanga o roto i a rāua.

Nō te uinga o Jordyn mō ngā hāngaitanga o te whakaako i te reo Māori me te tito waiata, ka tautuhi ia i ngā āhuatanga o te tuku i ana titonga ki te mātanga reo hei hōmiromiro māna, tōmua mai i tana tuku i te waiata ki te ao.

Hei tāna, “ko tēnei tukanga, he rite ki te whakaako. Me mārama pai ahau ki tāku e mahi ana. Me tuwhera taku ngākau ki te ako, nā te mea he rua kotahi te ako me te whakaako. I te mutunga iho, ko te noho hei ākonga i te ao puoro me te ao whakaako te hāngaitanga nui katoa o ngā ao e rua”.

Kua tangata whenua te reo Māori me te ahurea Māori i roto tonu i te kāinga o Jordyn rātou ko tana whānau. Ko te tūmanako nui ia o tōna ngākau kia pērā rawa te tangata whenua i te umanga puoro, i Aotearoa, i te ao whānui anō hoki.

Hei tāna, “kia Māori ngā waiata maha, kia rangawhāwhā ngā waiata Māori huri noa”.

Ko te kupu a Jordyn ki te hunga e pīrangi nei ki te ako i te reo, e pīrangi nei hoki kia tangata whenua te reo i ō rātou ao e pēnei ana, “kia mahara ake koutou, he haerenga mutunga kore tēnei. Ko te whakapapa me te tukunga o ēnei taonga me noho hei tāhū i ngā wā katoa. Me pao te torea kei whati ana te tai, e kore ai ā koutou tamariki e mate ki te waha ake i ngā mahi ā muri ake nei”.