Wednesday March 21

Major Milestone for Māori Language in Schools

Māori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia says Race Relations Day 2007 marks a major milestone in the teaching and learning of Māori language in New Zealand schools.

Mr Horomia and the Race Relations Concilator, Joris de Bres, co-launch the draft document, Te Reo Māori in the NZ Curriculum at Newlands College in Wellington today.

The document is significant because it sets out guidelines for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori for more than 90% of our primary and secondary schools - schools where English is the main language of instruction.

“Te reo Māori curriculum guidelines have been available for Māori-medium students, those whose first language is te reo, since 1996.

``However, there have never been reo Māori curriculum guidelines for those taking te reo in other schools.''

Teachers and the Maori community have been calling for the curriculum, saying it would be an important teaching aid and would facilitate consistency across schools.

``The new curriculum will help ensure students learning one of New Zealand's two national languages are on the same level playing field as those taking other important subjects.''

Te Puni Kōkiri’s research shows that there is an increasingly positive attitude towards te reo Māori amongst both non-Māori and Māori and that New Zealanders are supportive of Māori being used in public settings .

”We are now in the most reo-friendly environment that we have ever experienced, which means that te reo can flourish even more.''

He encourages all schools, students and communities to look at the new draft reo Māori curriculum guidelines.

“As an official language of our country, te reo is an important option for all students. In a shrinking global environment, te reo Māori will be one of the things that makes New Zealand unique.”

Interested parties have three months to comment on the draft curriculum guidelines and the final version of Te Reo Māori in the NZ Curriculum will be released in 2008.

Background Information

There are two Curriculum Frameworks in New Zealand.

The Ministry of Education has a three-pronged strategy for supporting the teaching of Māori language in English-medium schools. This strategy focuses on:
- the development of a curriculum;
- the creation of support materials; and
- the provision of professional development opportunities for teachers.

The draft curriculum guidelines have been in development for three years. They were trialled in five regions in 2005, and have been regularly revised following feedback from teachers, teacher education providers, teacher unions and relevant government agencies.

ENDS

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