On the 50th anniversary of the Māori language petition, the Green Party is calling on the Government to make te reo Māori a core curriculum subject in mainstream schools and to support Kaupapa Māori education groups.
'It has been 50 years since the Māori language petition was presented to Parliament. Now is the time to ensure all of our tamariki have the opportunity to learn our indigenous language,” says the Green Party's education spokesperson, Teanau Tuiono.
'The Green Party stands with Māori who have been fighting for decades to reclaim te reo and revitalise it for future generations in all education settings. We support the calls to ensure that Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Kura a Iwi and the Wānanga are properly funded. There needs to be a clear focus to find solutions designed by Māori, for Māori, delivered by Māori.
'Languages are embedded with knowledge and information about culture, place, and history. They carry meaning beyond the words themselves, and shape people's ways of seeing and understanding the world around them.
'For decades, successive governments actively pushed te reo Māori to the brink. It was literally beaten out of whānau; generations of Māori were denied te reo at school and denied it in their communities. Fifty years ago today, Māori activists started the fight back. The call to action - ‘My language is my awakening; my language is the window to my soul' - has echoed across the last five decades and still rings loud today.
'These young activists knew that our ability to flourish depended on our ability to express ourselves in our own language. The stand they made sparked a movement that continues to shape Aotearoa. Today we celebrate what they achieved.
'Despite huge progress over the last five decades, there is still a long way to go before we have fully reclaimed our language.”
Nation to reflect on 50 year Māori language movement
Ka whakamahara te motu i ngā whakapaunga kaha o tērā 50 tau mō te reo Māori
A large crowd gathered at Parliament in Wellington today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Māori language petition.
I tēnei rā, ka whakaeke mai tētahi ope nui ki te Pāremata i Te Whanganui-a-Tara ki te whakanui i te huringa o te 50 tau mai i te hainatanga o te petihana mō te reo Māori.
Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson says the day is a chance to remember the 1972 petition's pivotal role in te reo Māori revitalisation in New Zealand.
Hei tā te Minita Whanaketanga Māori, hei tā Willie Jackson, he rā whakamahara tēnei i te wāhi nui o te petihana o te tau 1972 ki te whakarauoratanga mai o te reo Māori i Aotearoa.
'Te reo Maori is unique to Aotearoa and makes a significant contribution to our nation being a vibrant and diverse place to live.
"He reo motuhake te reo Māori nō Aotearoa, he wāhi nui tō te reo ki te hihiri me te kanorau o tō tātou motu.
'Fifty years on we will return to the steps of Parliament where rangatahi from Ngā Tamatoa, Te Reo Māori Society, and Te Huinga Rangatahi, along with kaumātua presented the petition.
"Nō te paunga o te 50 tau, kei te hoki tātou ki ngā arapiki o te Pāremata, ki te wāhi i whakatakotoria ai te petihana e ngā rangatahi o Ngā Tamatoa, o Te Rōpū Reo Māori me Te Huinga Rangatahi i te taha anō o ngā kaumātua.
'Those 30,000 plus signatures represented both Māori and non-Māori who wanted to fight for te reo Māori and saw it as the taonga that it is.”
"He tohu aua hainatanga, e 30,000 te nui, mō te hiahia o te Māori me tauiwi ki te whawhai mō te reo Māori, arā, i kitea he taonga tonu te reo," te kī a Willie Jackson.
The He toa reo Māori, 50 years on event will run from 11am–1pm. TV presenter and musician Moana Maniapoto will MC the public event and there'll be formal speeches, and the Māori Language Moment at midday will be to sing waiata Ngā Iwi E. This will be followed by free kai, and a performance by award winning musician Rob Ruha.
Ka tū te hui He toa reo Māori, 50 years on mai i te 11am–1pm. Ka whakahaerehia ngā kōrero e te kaitātaki pouaka whakaata, e te kaipuoro hoki, e Moana Maniapoto, ka tūtū mai ngā kaikōrero, ā, i te tūhoetanga o te rā, ka tū te hui ki te waiata i te waiata o Ngā Iwi E. Ā muri tata atu, ka kai, ā, ka waiata tētahi o ngā toa o te ao puoro, arā, ko Rob Ruha.
Jackson says today is a celebration of the progress being made to ensure te reo Maori is once more a living language.
Hei tā Willie Jackson, koinei te rā ki te whakanui i ngā kokenga whakamua ki te whakarauoratanga mai anō o te reo Māori.
The day began at dawn with the blessing of the Māori language petition exhibition 'Tōku reo, tōku ohooho” and the opening of a four-day Māori language festival in Wellington at the National Library.
Nō te aonga ake o te rā, ka whakatuwherahia te whakaaturanga mō te petihana reo Māori, arā, mō "Tōku reo, tōku ohooho" me tētahi taiopenga nui mō te reo Māori ki Te Puna Mātauranga i Te Whanganui-a-Tara. E whā ngā rangi te roa o te taiopenga.
'It is also a humble day as there is much left to do in the next 50 years. But rangatahi and kaumātua, Māori and Pākehā, are taking up the challenge as did their predecessors,” Willie Jackson said.
"E tū whakaiti ana hoki mātou i tēnei rā i te nui o ngā mahi e toe ana hei te 50 tau e heke mai ana. Heoi, kei te hīkina te mānuka e ngā rangatahi, e ngā kaumātua, e te Māori me te Pākehā," te kī a Willie Jackson.
In this spirit, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission has released its interactive Stories of Te Reo website to collect the stories, images and memories that trace the Māori language revival history.
I runga i tērā whakaaro, kua whakaputaina e Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori te pae tukutuku pāhekoheko o Stories of Te reo hei whakakao mai i ngā kōrero, i ngā whakaahua me ngā mahara e whai ana i te hītori o te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori
10 comments
and even with.....
Posted on 14-09-2022 20:35 | By groutby
..the reported restrictions well and truly lifted since the early '70s, the language has declined even more. At some point, surely the question must be asked if the proposed 'compulsion' is really a good idea...I would suspect a further decline with those seriously 'over' being ordered what to do.........to encourage and support is the answer, we will decide if we want to participate.....
Good! Earlier the better
Posted on 14-09-2022 22:08 | By This Guy
Research shows that learning a second language boosts problem-solving, critical-thinking, and listening skills, in addition to improving memory, concentration, and the ability to multitask. Children proficient in other languages also show signs of enhanced creativity and mental flexibility. The cognitive benefits of learning a language have a direct impact on a child’s academic achievement. Compared to those without an additional language, bilingual children have improved reading, writing, and maths skills, and they generally score higher on tests. Contrary to popular belief, young children are not confused by the introduction of multiple languages at the same time. Not only do they naturally navigate multilingual environments, but acquiring a second language early in life primes the brain to learn multiple other languages, opening a world of opportunities for later on.
Over mandates and compulsary...
Posted on 15-09-2022 09:10 | By fair game
Surely everyone is sick of being told what is best for us to do? Can't parents decide what they want for their children? In the days of Maori immersion schools, could we also look at English immersion schools? Would like a choice when it comes to what my children learn. Surely a choice is still available in NZ ? Personally I would prefer my children to learn English, Mandarin and a European language as these will set them up well for life, career, and travel in the world. I do agree that basic Maori language skills are good at Primary school, but beyond that should be a choice not an order...
People should be allowed to choose
Posted on 15-09-2022 10:15 | By jed
To 'thisguy', if that is the case, then let kids choose a language they would like to learn. eg, Chinese or Spanish would be of far greater value to a child's future. Did you know that learning music has similar learning benefits, so let's also force all kids to learn piano. There are far bigger issues in education than learning a second language. Kids are failing literacy and numeracy standards in record numbers. Many kids, especially Maori, don't even attend school. Some decile 1 schools have a 22% attendance rate. How can Maori kids learn anything if they dropped out of school?
Choice
Posted on 15-09-2022 10:52 | By Kancho
Not sure core subject but a choice. I touched on several languages at intermediate, Latin, french but no aptitude so chose not to pursue although Latin gave a better understanding of English and science. The most useful was Maths , English, and sciences that took me into a well paid interesting career. Obviously everyone is different but encouragement to educational success is one of the best gifts and parents have a big role . Seems attendance and basic maths and English are not doing so well for school leavers.
@ this Guy
Posted on 15-09-2022 11:33 | By Kancho
All that you say may be true for some but if so I prefer my children to learn a more international language or trade or travel by choice . Maori may be important to Maori, academia and historians and others interested and that's all great go for it as a choice but not a compulsion. Best as it is where younger kids get a bit that they can follow up later if they like by choice.
Hmmm
Posted on 15-09-2022 12:49 | By Let's get real
I'm not against introducing youngsters to various subjects, but considerable thought needs to be directed towards the long-term goals of our students and the fundamental requirements for their futures. Basically, the use of Te Reo has limited benefits in NZ and even fewer internationally. What we impose upon our youngsters in their early lives should support them throughout their journey in life,. Not just in the hermit kingdom, but more importantly in a global landscape which is developing beyond our sleepy-hollow. Balance is most important.
@This guy
Posted on 15-09-2022 13:06 | By morepork
No disagreement with any of your claims. But here's the nub of it: "...have the opportunity to learn our indigenous language...". Having the opportunity to do something, and being forced to do it, are two different things. Leaving aside the debatable use of "indigenous", the FACT is that Te Reo will not be of any use to anyone outside NZ. It's value is purely cultural rather than practical. That doesn't mean it has no value, or we shouldn't learn it (I am currently..) but it does mean we should not ENFORCE it. It should be available as an option in school curricula, but not a REQUIREMENT. If someone learns say, Chinese, or German, or French as a second language, there is a very real chance that these will support future possibility of a job in trade or diplomacy and so return on the investment. Te Reo, not so...
@Groutby
Posted on 15-09-2022 13:16 | By morepork
Your post is insightful and matches my own concern. It is not the nature of Kiwis to be "compelled" and there is natural resistance to it. I believe (along with This Guy) that being multilingual is a very good thing, for all of the reasons he gave. I speak 4 languages and that ability has made money for me, so I consider the time spent learning them, well spent. But I was never FORCED to learn any of them (except English... :-)). If you want to live and work abroad, it is a good move to at least pick up the conversational basics of the country you are living in. Language and culture are inextricably entwined and give insight to the people. I'm learning Te Reo because I want deeper understanding of Maoritanga and perceive it to be part of my own Kiwi culture. But no-one FORCED me... :-)
Second Language
Posted on 16-09-2022 06:27 | By Thats Nice
I'm all for learning a second language but I would choose Spanish not Te Reo as the opportunities for learning one of the largest spoken languages in the world would provide a lot more opportunities in the future. Notice I said "choose"
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