The Minister of Maori Affairs, Hon Tau Henare, is giving his support to Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo appointing an interim general manager for the agency.

"I'm satisfied with the decision," he said. "It's important to establish an interim manager quickly in order to restore stability within the agency, and maintain continuity throughout all the agency's activities.

"Te Taura Whiri is just one of a number of government agencies who are striving to co-ordinate government efforts to revitalise the Maori language and we don't want this work to lose momentum."

Mr Henare said while the loss of Professor Karetu as chair of the Commission was unfortunate, it was time to move on.

"Professor Karetu and his staff have built a strong foundation for the language, and there is a lot more work to be done yet, on the revitalisation strategy.

"This multi-agency approach to revitalising the language is a real challenge all the agencies need to work hard at. No one can do this task on their own, but by working together we have a chance to make a difference to a language at risk."

Mr Holden Hohaia, a former TPK policy manager and private secretary to Mr Henare, would act as general manager until the new management team at the Commission is established.

ENDS

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