Who learns te reo Māori?
There is a diverse range of students learning te reo Māori. They may have:
- a strong background in Māori, where the language is the normal means of communication with whānau and other members of the Māori community;
- whānau members or caregivers who use te reo Māori to communicate;
- some prior experience with te reo Māori although they do not come from homes where Māori language is spoken;
- little experience of te reo Māori.
Even within each of these groups of learners, there is diversity. At all levels, Māori language learners are likely to show the full range of individual differences found in any group of learners. Some will have special talents with language, and some will have special educational needs. When teachers are planning their Māori language programmes, they need to focus on the learners and take account of their diverse requirements.
These curriculum guidelines reflect the need to be inclusive. Māori language programmes should offer both Māori and non-Māori learners, and learners with special needs, the opportunity to learn te reo Māori. Schools need to consult with Māori people and communities to ensure that they are teaching appropriate and relevant Māori language.
For the vast majority of learners of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in English-medium schools, te reo Māori will be a second or additional language. Learning te reo Māori can improve their understanding of, and performance in, their first language and any other language they learn. Learning te reo Māori is therefore recommended not only for students who have particular strengths in language learning but also for those who find learning languages challenging. Learning te reo Māori and tikanga Māori can be fun – and this is likely to provide one of the strongest motivations for learning in the early years. However, such learning is also very important for developing an awareness of language. In many places in the world, people grow up with competence in at least two languages from an early age, and this gives them an excellent basis for learning other languages.
It is sometimes argued that there is little point in learning New Zealand Māori because it is, with few exceptions, spoken exclusively in this country. In fact, many other languages, such as Finnish and Italian, are also spoken largely in a single country. This status has rarely been used seriously as an argument against retaining and learning them. As with speakers of te reo Māori, most speakers of languages spoken largely in a single country are also highly competent in at least one other language that is widely used internationally.
Students’ ability to function as effective and responsible New Zealand and global citizens must be an important consideration in determining their educational opportunities. Te reo Māori enhances their ability to do this.
It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that te reo Māori endures: “mō ā muri, mō ā nehe;” (for the days to come, for the future).1
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12 Mead and Grove (2001), page 309. ^