Network

Feature

Walking the talk: Compulsory te reo Māori in schools

Thursday 14th September 2017

Opinions are divided.

Should te reo Māori be made compulsory in all New Zealand schools? In the education sector, in Māoridom, and among political parties who are weighing in on this kaupapa this election year. This is a divisive topic.

Eight young Māori working in education and te reo revitalisation programmes across Aotearoa give their honest opinions about what the reality is, and what they believe should be prioritised.

Te reo Māori should be compulsory in schools. The problem is the quality of language. If strategies are made to guide, and support te reo Māori teachers, our aspirations may be met. In addition, I have a name. If students learn to pronounce words and Māori names, te reo Māori and Māori names will be empowered as a starting point for all.

The debate of making te reo Māori a compulsory subject in schools has been going on for too long, and while this happens the number of language speakers slowly decline. Let’s create strategies to improve the proficiency and to grow the number of language teachers. Then let’s teach our kids 5-10 years old, so they have an understanding of the world they live in and of their ancestral lands, because they are the leaders of tomorrow. Aotearoa needs to love and grow te reo together, to ensure its survival, but to also see its uniqueness and its beauty.

Shanan Gray(Te Aitanga a Hauiti), primary school teacher

Te reo Māori fluency: Basic understanding

Shanan Gray

I strongly believe implementing te reo Māori should be compulsory within our schools. By implementing te reo, it gives us the opportunity to start with the basics to get a strong grounding, and understanding of how our language should be used within a learning environment. Also, from learning the basic reo it encourages all non-Māori speakers to learn at their own pace.

As a teacher in a mainstream school and in a school that has 95 percent Māori population, I have seen the mana and pride te reo Māori has given to our young leaders of tomorrow. Our tamariki need to be exposed to their culture and heritage to understand their identity. Every day we see the hungry minds that want to know more about te reo and therefore we need to feed their minds. If we start off small and do things effectively we will grow as a nation.

Nicki Glover (Te Aitanga a Hauiti), Primary School Teacher

Te reo Māori fluency: Work in progress

Nicola Glover

It is a national language of our country. It is in danger of being lost. It is our responsibility not only as teachers but as New Zealanders to not let this happen. The biggest hurdle preventing this from happening is teacher confidence and capability. The Ministry of Education should focus less on national standards, and more on working alongside teachers and experts, to provide us with quality professional development so teachers feel confident in incorporating tikanga and te reo into the everyday life of their classroom.

I don’t think te reo Māori should be made compulsory in schools, though I do agree with the overarching sentiment that the pool of Māori speakers is declining. However, the issue is that the majority of New Zealanders do not understand the history of te reo in its entirety. There is little love for te reo. It is regarded only as a language with a widespread presumption that there is no value in it. When we teach te reo, we need to teach in its entirety.

There’s more value in compulsory New Zealand history being taught in our schools. Among other things, students will learn the hardships that Māori and our language have faced, and the nuances to this living language. Hopefully, perspectives will change, people will empathise and understand that it is not just a language but will understand Te Reo as a whole.

Where is the place in this for whanau outside of the classroom or the school? Or will we leave the revitalisation of our language to schools? There are 24 hours in a day, 6 of those hours a student is at school, about ½ -1 hour is spent on te reo Māori. For Māori immersion schools, 6 hours the students spends in a Māori language environment, then they leave school and return to speaking English. What happens in the other 18 hours? Is that all spent speaking our reo? Of course, this does not apply to everyone, but it does to most, especially Māori language speakers.

A person must want to follow that path, and must work hard to achieve what they want. The survival and life of te reo Māori belongs in our homes, the role of schools in this case should be to add to what the student has learnt at home.

In the sphere of language revitalisation, the country of Ireland is a shining star. In Ireland, the Gaelic language was made compulsory in schools, from pre-school to high-school. However, there are problems. Firstly, it is difficult to hear the language being spoken in public places. Secondly, some people have been put off the language as a result. Possibly, the reasons why these difficulties occurred is holding the language at school before ensuring its use in the communities. The language is relegated to the schooling environment, and remains there. Perhaps it’s the perception that schools are the foundation for language learning.

However, we know that it is instead families, communities, and iwi – they are the true foundation. Firstly, prioritise a fluent community. Then transfer this to New Zealand schools.

Not yet! There are too few available and competent at teaching te reo Maori to learners, even in Maori communities. In reality, there are small communities where te reo is freely spoken, however it is difficult to hear Maori being spoken in all its intricacies; formally or informally with a Maori worldview at the core.

Currently I am a teacher at a kura Māori. The above applies when attending inter-school gatherings for kura Māori. At these gatherings Westernised perspectives are heard through inarticulate Māori spoken by both students and their teachers. If there are some in Māori schools unable to articulate Māori from a Māori perspective, can mainstream schools be expected to do so?

Who will develop the appropriate published resources, tools and technology? Who will monitor the quality of those resources? Who will pay for those resources? These are substantial issues to me, and no doubt I am not the only person or teacher who thinks this way. Lest it be said I am deficit thinking towards the people of our country, no way!

In order for those uninformed to turn to te reo Māori they must learn. That’s it in a nutshell! However, at this time, we are unable to teach in all schools ensuring the integrity of te reo Māori remains intact. The quality and spirit of the language will dilute in the absence of good teaching practice, experts in this field, and people who really understand the language to teach. Tried now, I fear te reo Māori will transform into English merely cloaked in what seems to be a Mäori language. Initially te reo Māori, eventually English.

Upfront. In-depth. In tune.

The Wireless aims to produce inspiring, insightful and entertaining stories for New Zealanders who have grown up in the digital age. The site is updated with new content every weekday. Share your story tips, ideas and opinions.