This story was originally published on Friday, June 14, 2024, and is republished today as part of Te Ao Māori News' Ngā Hiranga o te tau 2024 series, highlighting an article from each month that caught your attention.
A staff member from a supermarket store in the Bay of Plenty has gone viral on social media after he did a store closing call in Māori.
New World Ōpōtiki posted a video to its Tik Tok of one of their junior staff speaking in Māori.
“Tēnā tātau katoa e hika mā. Rima meneti ka katia ngā tatau o tēnei toa, nō reira kia kamakama te hokohoko o koutou kai. He hiahia nō matau ngā kaimahi ki te hoki atu ki o mātau kāenga, ki o mātau ake whare. Nō reira kia kamakama mai tātau katoa. Kia Ora.”
“Greetings to you all my friends. In five minutes the doors of the store will close. So, please be quick with your shopping. We, the staff, want to return home to our own houses. So let’s all hurry up. Thank you!”
Some of the comments on social media showed their support for the Māori spoken in the video.
“I don’t care what it is. Every time I go past on my way to Gizzy or on the way back home in Hamilton, I’m stopping in to buy something from NW Opotiki and show support for a store like that. MEKE!!”
Another commenter said it needed to be the norm in every establishment.
“Kia Ora nau mai ki Te Reo Māori !!! Mauri Ora !!! 😉 This was a blessing to watch and to hea. Tena koe”
New World Ōpōtiki owner Dan Rolls, who has run the store for over three years, said their team were locals and many were fluent in Māori.
“It’s inspiring to see the confidence of our team members, particularly the younger ones, speak in te reo and express themselves in this way. Tamati is one of many team members who will compete in this weekend’s kapa haka competition which we are excited for.
“Many, many hours of practice will finally have come to fruition in between their commitment to mahi. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and diverse workplace, which is why it is so awesome that there is a positive response to the video.”
