Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori

The goal of one million Kiwis having basic conversations in te reo by 2040 is unrealistic if more is not done to get serious about reo acquisition says the Māori Party.

“While small steps have been taken to bolster efforts to increase the numbers of speakers, much more needs to be done. As is the case with most issues of importance to Māori, deafening silence from government resounds once again as Aotearoa bids farewell to its annual 7 day expression to promote the original culture of this land, through Te Wiki o te reo Māori”.

“There were many expressions of honouring our reo and it is simply beautiful to see Te Wiki o te reo Māori gain more and more popularity” says the President of the Māori Party, Che Wilson.

“But it’s time to move the dial and the Māori Party wants to see Ngā Wiki o te reo Māori supported by the government where te reo Māori is normalised for four weeks, one week each season throughout the year as a step to bigger kaupapa like the month long Mahuru Māori which is advocated by te reo Māori expert, Paraone Gloyne.”

“We only need to point to the efforts of the Māori Party speaking te reo in Parliament and forging the path for simultaneous translation to see how easily it can work in practice. Speaking te reo became so normalised in the House that even non-fluent speakers in Parliament will now open some of their speeches in te reo Māori.”

When the Māori Party championed the passage of the Te Reo Māori Bill through the House in 2016 to strengthen efforts towards reo revitalisation, it was clear there was support across the House to do more. “I encourage the current MPs to push for further efforts to halt the decline of te reo speakers. We can all play our part as a nation, including in the private and community sectors, to take up the challenge to fight for our reo.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“We agree with former Labour Minister, Dover Samuels that the Crown should apologise for beating the language out of a generation of school kids. We are hopeful the Government will respond in a timely manner, and we are also awaiting the Crown’s response to actioning the Health and Fresh Water reports too” notes Wilson.

“Te reo Māori and Māori culture differentiate us from the rest of the world and the sooner the nation owns this, activities such as Ngā Wiki o te reo Māori and Mahuru Māori, the one million milestone can be achieved,” states Wilson.
c

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.