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Paul Homes getting phonetic help with his Māori

Paul Homes getting phonetic help with his Māori

Paul Homes is getting some 'tongue in cheek' phonetic help with his Māori pronunciation, in particular with how to say 'Māori'.
 
While TVNZ recently rejected a Broadcasting Complaints Authority complaint about his pronunciation of 'Māori', an appeal is being organised.
 
Mr Holmes commonly uses the 1970s pronunciation 'Mowrie', and the phonetic guide (attached) helps him to say it as most of his fellow broadcasters do. 

Why a complaint against the Q and A show?
 
A recent complaint, rejected by TVNZ, requested Holmes to correct how he says 'Māori'. For many Māori it's an important issue:  

- saying the name of the indigenous people correctly is not a lot to ask from a flagship current affairs show on the state broadcaster.

- standards in te reo have increased over time, es pecially in broadcasting.  
- news and weather presenters are doing 150% better than 10 years ago, which is cause for optimism.


- Māori expect high standards from broadcasters, teachers etc - Māori words are often our whānau names.

- Russell Bishop's Kōtahitanga programme encourages teachers to get Māori names right as a starting point for respectful teacher/student relationships. Holmes should model a similar approach on the Q and A show.  
 
- many organisations are promoting Māori, like kōhanga reo, Māori TV, Māori Language Commission, kura kaupapa Māori, wānanga etc.
 
About the phonetic giude:
 
The phonetic guide uses English words that are said similarly to Māori words, showing we can all get these right.
 
'Multi', said fast and with a soft 't', closely resembles the correct pronunciation of 'Māori.' 
 
 The complaint aims to raise the bar with te reo in broadcasting and notes that saying Māori correctly among the under 30s is as natural as saying 'fush and chups'.

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