Why learn te reo Māori?
Citizens of New Zealand, both Māori and non-Māori, need to be aware of the importance of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in relation to this country’s social and cultural advancement and cohesion.
Until around the middle of the twentieth century, te reo Māori was the first language of the vast majority of Māori communities in New Zealand, and most Māori communities lived in rural areas. Since then, there has been a very significant shift in Māori communities, from using te reo Māori to using English. This shift was related, in part, to educational policies that prioritised English as the language of instruction. The shift was also related to demographic changes, because many Māori people moved from the countryside to towns and cities in search of employment. A survey carried out between 1973 and 1978 revealed that, at that time, there were around 70 000 native speakers of te reo Māori and around 115 000 people altogether who could understand the language without difficulty. The vast majority of these people were in the older age groups.1 By 1995, when the Māori Language Commission conducted another Māori language survey, there were only around 10 000 people in New Zealand whose fluency in te reo Māori was “high” or “very high”.2
Even before the 1973–1978 Māori language survey, strategies were being developed to reverse the trend of Māori language loss. These strategies led to the foundation of kōhanga reo (Māori language early childhood education services) and kura kaupapa Māori and wharekura (schools in which te reo Māori is the medium of instruction and tikanga Māori is central). A wide range of language and culture programmes on marae and in colleges and universities throughout the country was also developed at around this time. “He reo e kōrerotia ana, he reo ka ora” (A spoken language is a living language).3
These efforts have been officially supported by the establishment of te reo Māori as an official language of New Zealand (Māori Language Act 1987), by the increasing use of te reo Māori in legal statutes and court hearings, and by employers’ increasing recognition that employees should have, and very often must have, knowledge and understanding of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. This is particularly the case in local and national government and in the areas of education, health, social welfare, and law, where an understanding of the full significance of the Treaty of Waitangi is often a prerequisite for employment.
There is increasing interest in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori throughout the country. Language revitalisation efforts are beginning to bear fruit in a range of communities. However, many young people, including young Māori, still have little exposure to te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. Quite apart from other considerations, this lack of exposure is likely to disadvantage them in relation to employment opportunities in a wide range of areas. It could also lead to their feeling awkward and embarrassed in situations where a knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori is important. Furthermore, New Zealand English has borrowed extensively from te reo Māori, and all New Zealanders should understand the origins and significance of these borrowings.
Studying another language has academic, cognitive, and cultural benefits. Studies show that students who speak more than one language perform at higher levels than their monolingual counterparts on tests of academic achievement, cognitive flexibility, and creativity. Such students also develop skills, attitudes, and understandings that help them to learn other languages.
Young people who combine their study of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori with the study of business, law, trade, science, tourism, or politics may find that this opens the way to excellent career opportunities, especially as many agencies, including national and local government agencies and courts of law, are increasingly requiring their employees to be competent in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere
Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird that partakes of the miro berry reigns in the forest
The bird that partakes of education reigns in the world.4
By learning te reo Māori, young New Zealanders can:
-
participate more fully as citizens of a country in which te reo Māori
is an official language; -
participate with understanding and confidence in functions where
te reo Māori and tikanga Māori predominate; -
broaden their employment options and operate effectively in social,
legal, educational, business, and general professional contexts where
knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori is required; -
develop or increase their awareness and appreciation of the central role that language, culture, place, and heritage play in shaping identity and giving direction and meaning to life;
- learn to appreciate, understand, enjoy, and value Māori arts, including the performing arts;
- develop skills, attitudes, and understandings that will help them to learn other languages;
-
learn to appreciate the important role that indigenous languages and
cultures play throughout the world in the context of the increasing
homogenisation of peoples; -
develop, through greater understanding, greater respect for a range
of views and cultural practices.