Māori Language Day, 14 September 1972

Te Reo Māori, ka mate, ka mate?
Ka ora, ka ora, ki te kōrerotia!

Māori Language, will it die, will it die?
It will live, it will live, if it is spoken!

Thirty years ago it was identified that the Māori language was in a state of serious decline. The language is still in a precarious state and needs the support of New Zealanders throughout the globe in order for it to survive.

On 14 September 1972, a 30,000 signature Māori Language Petition was presented to parliament. This date remains an auspicious one in the history of the Māori language renaissance, which is why the Commission has decided to mark the 30th anniversary of this day in 2002 as an International Māori Language Day.

While Māori Language Day, September the 14th, was the forerunner to Māori Language week and has evolved as an annual event, the Commission is calling for New Zealanders and organisations to measure their commitment to Māori language by joining together to celebrate September the 14th as a National Māori Language Day.

Background
The first National Māori Language Day was observed on 14 September 1972, the day that the late Hana Te Hemara of Ngā Tamatoa and Lee Smith of Te Reo Māori Society presented a Māori Language petition to Parliament containing more than 30,000 signatures.

The petition read as follows:

To the Honourable the Speaker and the Members of the House of Representatives of New Zealand in Parliament assembled.

We, the undersigned, do humbly pray that courses in Māori language and aspects of Māori culture be offered in ALL those schools with large Māori rolls and that these same courses be offered, as a gift to the Pākehā from the Māori, in all other New Zealand schools as a positive effort to promote a more meaningful concept of Integration.

E hoa mā, tēnā koutou katoa. E pīrangi ana mātou kia whakaakongia te reo Māori, me ngā tikanga Māori, ki roto i NGĀ KURA KATOA e maha ana ngā taitamariki Māori, ā, kia hoatu hoki ēnei taonga hei koha ki te Pākehā, ki roto I ō rātou kura katoa, kia tika ai te kōrero he iwi kotahi tātou.

[Macrons have been inserted in the words Māori and Pākehā. The double vowels originally used in the Māori translation have also been macronised.]

Newspaper articles printed on 14 September 1972, exposed a "war" against Māori language that detailed the corporal punishment used on children who spoke Māori in schools, assimilation policies, and the discouragement of teachers from teaching in Māori. It appears that the mainstream print media were very supportive of Māori language initiatives. The Dominion newspaper published its editorial on 14 September 1972 bilingually, and it was entitled "Akona Te Reo Māori/Time to Learn Māori".

The next year, 1973, the day was changed to Māori Language Week. Later, the week was moved by the Education Department to the month of July, to fit within the school term, and that is where it has been positioned since.

The 1970s was a time of tremendous political change for Māori in New Zealand. Race relations came to a head with the land march of 1974–1975 which galvanised Māori to action. In October of 1975 the Waitangi Tribunal was established. The 1973–78 New Zealand Council for Educational Research Māori language survey was released showing that only 18–20 percent of Māori were fluent Māori speakers and that te reo Māori was described as an endangered language in a perilous state. In 1986 the te reo Māori claim lodged by Huirangi Waikerepuru and Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo Incorporated Society, was heard by the Waitangi Tribunal which resulted in the establishment of the Māori Language Commission in 1987. The National Māori Language Survey of 1995 confirmed the earlier findings and indicated that although 59 percent of Māori adults spoke the Māori language, to some extent, the majority (83 percent) had either low fluency or did not speak Māori at all. Only 8 percent of Māori adults were highly fluent in the use of the Māori language and of those highly fluent speakers one-third of them were aged 60 years or over.

To acknowledge the significance of the 14th of September 1972 planning is underway to mark the 30th anniversary in 2002 with an International Māori Language day.

Some suggestions for Māori language day:

	use te reo Māori: If you are a speaker or learner of Māori, use the language you have as often as you can, in as many situations as possible. Every contribution will help to promote the use of the language.
	encourage others: Encourage all of your family, friends, and colleagues to learn Māori.
	read Māori language books: Read aloud in te reo Māori to your children and or organise te reo Māori events for children outside of normal school hours. See the Māori Language Commission website for publisher's contact details (www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz).
	make use of Māori language publications: The Commission challenges those with a reasonable grasp of the language to extend their competence. The Māori Language Commission has a free quarterly newsletter, He Muka written entirely in Māori which keeps subscribers informed about what the Commission is up to, as well as acting as a vehicle by which our new words are disseminated. There are also a number of bilingual websites you can visit.
	promote Māori language at your school, place of study or workplace: Organise a te reo Māori display, event, classes, social get together, or competition at your school, polytechnic, university, marae, workplace, community centre, or library.
	sponsor a Māori language event: sponsor a lecture series, or create a Māori language scholarship.
	implement Māori language policy: Develop or further implement a Māori Language policy at your workplace or place of study. Next time you place advertisement, advertise in Māori also. Arrange for Māori signage in your office, arrange for a Māori speaking receptionist to be available to Māori speaking clients. Arrange for pamphlets explaining your business in Māori.

For more information contact:

Lana Simmons-Donaldson
Kaiwhitiwhiti Kōrero/Communications Advisor
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori
DDL: 04 471 6724
Fax: 04 471 2768
Mobile: 025 574 551
lana@tetaurawhiri.govt.nz
www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz