Te Pāti Māori Call For Resignation Of MFAT CEO Over Te Reo Māori Erasure
Monday, 20 November 2023, 3:29 pm Press Release: Te Pati Maori
Te Pāti Māori have called for the resignation of the
Ministry of Foreign and Trade chief executive Chris Seed
following his decision to erase te reo Māori from
government communications. While the country still waits for
a new government to be formed, Mr Seed took it upon himself
to undermine his office’s obligations to Māori without
any prior consultation.
Mr Seed is either bowing to
the anti-Māori rhetoric that was prevalent throughout the
election campaign, or he has only been paying lip service to
te reo Māori until we had a change of
government.
“The Ministry is happy to sell our
culture and language overseas while showing no respect for
it at home” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri
Waititi.
“If this is how you are going to treat te
iwi Māori behind closed doors then you are unfit for office
and need to step down” said Waititi.
“We have just
landed on the other side of an election campaign that was
very hostile toward te reo Māori” said co-leader Debbie
Ngarewa-Packer.
“Our incoming prime minister is
currently in negotiations with a Party that wants to
completely erase te reo from our government
departments.
“I am deeply concerned that this moves
signals things to come under a new government” said
co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
Te Pāti Māori’s
call doesn’t only apply to MFAT’s CEO
however:
“We are putting every government department
on notice” said Waititi.
“We will not allow this
type of behaviour and attitude to go unchallenged” Waititi
said.
“We will not tolerate any move that threatens
to undermine our reo and undo the years of progress. We will
not accept your excuses” Ngarewa-Packer
said.
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