The first bilingual people in New Zealand were the distinctive Moriori already here, and Māori arriving four centuries later.

The Māori culture was more advanced. Warlike conflicts arose and the peace-loving Moriori fled to the Chatham Islands. Sealers and whalers introduced them to English.

In New Zealand, British settlers and Māori shared their languages. Their friendship pact, the Treaty of Waitangi, was duly written in both Māori and English.

Today, the three most common world languages are first English, spoken around the globe; second is Mandarin, official language of China, Taiwan and Singapore. Some Chinese are among the two million worldwide supporters of Esperanto. It is a universal language, invented by a Polish linguist many years ago.

Third is French, a European language important in 29 countries. Spanish has been adopted by most South American countries. Arabic is favoured by 22 Arab countries.

Vocal diversity between countries is widespread. Through modern communication the global village is becoming a reality.

How much relevance will school room Māori have for tomorrow's travellers?

But the language will stay with us, an iconic heritage for our children.

Margaret Whitwell, Judea.