“The Greens’ radical plan to make te reo Māori compulsory in schools will hurt New Zealand kids”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Students already struggle with basic reading and writing skills. Our literacy statistics are alarming.

"In the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, Year 5 students ranked 33rd out of 50 countries, and last out of English-speaking countries.

"A 2014 Tertiary Education Commission report found that, of Year 11 students with NCEA Level 1, only 49 per cent achieved the international reading benchmark.

“And yet, Labour Ministers and the Greens want to force kids that have enough trouble with English to learn te reo Māori as well. That is a recipe for disaster.

“Children have unique dreams and aspirations, but the Greens want to use them as a means to their own ideological ends.

"Our schools already offer the choice of the language. There is nothing wrong with students satisfying their literacy requirements using te reo Māori.

“Introducing compulsion will lead to second rate teachers and courses being put in place to meet Government requirements instead of communities’ aspirations. This will damage the language and generate resentment of it.

"With Nanaia Mahuta, Willie Jackson, and the Greens all pushing for compulsory te reo Māori, when will the Education Minister categorically rule out making the language compulsory in our schools?”

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