Free te reo lessons at Tūranga

Christchurch restaurant owner Anton Matthews is bringing his popular te reo classes to Tūranga.

Mr Matthews began offering free te reo classes at his Fush restaurant in Wigram earlier this year but so many people signed up to them he had to hire a bigger venue.

Anton Matthews is excited to be offering his te reo classes at Tūranga.

Now he has been offered the chance to run his classes at Tūranga.

Beginning on 26 November, Mr Matthews will be teaching te reo in Turanga’s TSB Space on Monday nights between 8 and 9pm. The classes will run for four weeks.

“It’s a win/win,’’ Mr Matthews says. “The classes are a great way to get people into Tūranga and I get to share my passion for te reo.’’

By the end of the four classes, Mr Matthews says people will know the building blocks of te reo and will be able to start incorporating the language into their everyday lives.

“They will have a good foundation which they will be able to go away and build on,’’ he says.

Christchurch City Libraries Programme and Learning Manager Pat Street thinks the classes will be popular.

“We’re excited to be able to offer basic te reo classes at Tūranga so our customers can feel more confident with their pronunciation and explore the language,’’ Ms Street says.

“At this stage the classes are only being run for four weeks, but we are planning to do something again next year.’’

* If you're interested in joining the te reo classes, keep an eye on Fush's Facebook page for details of how to register.