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Maori Language Act needs more clout

21 October 2010 Media Statement
Maori Language Act needs more clout

The Maori Language Act of 1987 must be given more clout if the Maori Language is to survive, says Labour MP Kelvin Davis.

“The Act as it stands really only achieves three things. Importantly, it recognises the Maori language as an official language of New Zealand allowing Maori to be spoken in Courts. It establishes a Maori Language Commission and it enables the Commission to grant certificates of competency in the Maori Language.”

But Kelvin Davis says he believes New Zealand should look to take a lead from Wales when it comes to keeping the Maori language alive.

“Forty years ago the Welsh language was where the Maori language is now. But because of steps that country has taken recently, Welsh is now spoken by the critical mass and is commonly used.

“The Welsh Language Act 1993 makes it mandatory for all public bodies to make it crystal clear what measures they’ll take to conduct public business in the Welsh language on an equal basis with English.

“All public services in New Zealand should be made to do the same – to explain exactly how they will conduct their affairs in both Te Reo Maori and English equally.

“For this to happen though, the present Maori Language Act must be beefed up.”

Mr Davis is also calling for changes in attitudes towards Te Reo Maori in the private sector.

“While we can’t make it compulsory, it would be great if businesses that employ more than twenty staff and deal regularly with the public, like banks and supermarkets, had a person fluent in Te Reo available for anyone wishing to conduct their transactions in the Maori language.

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“The conditions need to be created whereby Te Reo Maori is spoken, heard and read wherever you are in New Zealand.

“Other ideas that could be considered include introducing compulsory bilingual road signs, place names and other public signage, like on train platforms.

“It would also help if publicly funded English language TV programmes had Maori language sub-titles, newspapers provided bilingual headlines and stories and if TV hosts were bilingual.”

Kelvin Davis says schools are well poised to assist in saving the Maori language, but they need to be much better resourced.

“The survival of the Maori language depends on collaboration between Maori whanau, the Crown, all its agencies and services - including schools, businesses and non-Maori New Zealanders.

“If Maori is to be an everyday language, everyday New Zealanders need to be able to use it, not just Maori.”

ENDS

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