It seems this last week of Te Reo has been enjoyed by a lot of people. So it is a shame to read and hear that in the past the Maori language was not taught and children were beaten for speaking it at our schools.

I was born in 1936 at Rotorua and started primary school in 1941 going through to high school up to fifth form in 1951 and at no stage did I witness or hear of any Maori children being beaten for speaking Maori.

As for Te Reo not being taught, is simply not true. So 71 years ago the Maori language was offered at Rotorua High School and was offered as one of a choice of several subjects for high school certificate exams. In those days, if I remember rightly, School Certificate consisted of compulsory Maths, Science and English subjects with a choice of two non-compulsory subjects. I knew several of my school mates who did actually study Te Reo. One, a Maori, ended up becoming a professor in Auckland University.

James Newman, Mount Maunganui.