One million Kiwis to speak te reo: The plan behind revitalising the Māori language

Monday, 9 September 2019

You might not think you can speak te reo Māori, but chances are you understand more thank you think, thanks to Kiwis' tendency to borrow words.

By 2040, it's hoped one million New Zealanders will be able to speak basic te reo Māori.

This is just one of the Government's ambitious goals included in Maihi Karauna - the crown's Māori language strategy.

Maihi Karauna was launched this year as part of the Crown's committed towards helping te reo Māori revitalisation in New Zealand.

At the time, Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta, who would not be interviewed for this story, said there was a responsibility for the Crown to protect te reo Māori as a taonga.

* Hinemoa Elder: Reclaiming te reo Maori is an ongoing battle

* Wellbeing Budget: More than half a billion dollars for Māori and Pasifika

Nanaia Mahuta Minister gave a speech, saying that te reo was at a critical point in history.

* Linguistic app Drops introduces te reo Māori to world audience**

'I know that for te reo to thrive by 2040 we all need to do our part, working together to make te reo a working, living language,' Mahuta said at the launch.

She also said that it was important for everyone to feel supported in their efforts using te reo, whereever they were and whoever they were talking to.

This year, young entrepreneurs developed a te reo card game. So what other learning tools are on the way?

'Importantly we want young people to feel confident in who they are and coming from New Zealand – a way to achieve this is to share a connection through te reo Māori.'

The Government wants one million New Zealanders to be able to speak basic te reo Māori by 20140. But how will they achieve it?

SO WHAT IS MAIHI KARAUNA?

The 2018-2023 strategy outlines what the Government will do to make sure Māori language thrives in New Zealand.

Its agenda is shared across government agencies and ministerial portfolios.

A statement from the Ministry of Māori Development/Te Puni Kōkiri said that the strategy had a number of priority areas which the Government would focus its attention and resources on, over the next five years.

By 2040, the Government wants 150,000 Māori aged 15 and over to use te reo as much as English.

Each priority has an agency in charge of it and a timeframe. For example, one aim is for more children and young people to learn the language. The agencies responsible for this are the ministry and also crown entity Te Māngai Pāho. This aim has an expected timeframe of 1-2 years.

Other priorities include: getting more New Zealanders to value te reo Māori, having te reo used more in the home, on the marae, and in communities, as well as having more towns and cities embracing bilingualism.

More than $30m has been pledged over four years to help revitalise te reo Māori.

AUDACIOUS GOALS

Alongside the aims and priorities, there are also three bold goals included in the strategy. By 2040, it's aimed that:

- 85 per cent of New Zealanders will value te reo Māori as a key part of national identity.

- One million New Zealanders will be able to speak basic te reo Māori.

- And 150,000 Māori aged 15 and over will used te reo as much as English.

So how does the Government plan to achieve these goals?

The statement from the Ministry said that an implementation plan has been developed and is scheduled to be published this year.

By 2040 the Government also aims for 85 per cent of New Zealanders to value te reo Māori as a key part of national identity.

The 2019/20 plan will set out funded activities of core Maihi Karauna agencies and other key public service agencies, and will be categorised by the outcomes and priorities that they most directly contribute to in the Maihi Karauna Strategy.

FUNDING

These big goals need a big budget. So as part of Budget 2019, $33.84 million was pledged over four years for the continued revitalisation of te reo.

Here's a breakdown where the money will be allocated:

- $9.8m is allocated to the Māori Language Commission/Te Taura Whiri - to make sure every core public service agency has a language plan by 2021. The funding will also go towards increasing the number of certified te reo translators.

- $14m is allocated to crown entity Te Māngai Pāho to support te reo Māori media content.

- $6m is allocated to Te Mātāwai to support the language initiatives, as well as strengthening the Te Mātāwai kāhui investment model.

- $4m will go towards national and regional events.

- A further $1m would also go towards the first wave of initiatives, which includes language sessions, rangatahi workshops, and a social media campaign. The aim of these initiatives is to encourage more young people to use te reo in their everyday lives.

WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE?

Since the strategy was announced, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between agencies to launch a series of rangatahi-focused te reo Māori initiatives.

Six out of nine regional workshops involving young people in te reo have been completed. During these workshops, a pilot series called Snap-Reo - which includes of humorous micro-lessons in te reo Māori - was tested.

The Snap-Reo lessons aimed to target young people and increase their engagement with the language.

The National Rangatahi Summit will take place in Auckland in early December, where a social media campaign would also be launched.

A promotional campaign has been developed and will run alongside Te Wiki o te Reo/Māori Language Week. And a joint monitoring and evaluation framework has been developed.

During the Māori Language Week launch, Minister Nanaia Mahuta gave a speech, saying that te reo was at a critical point in history.

On one hand, there has never been more public support and interest in its revitalisation. But on the other hand, te reo Māori remained in a vulnerable position, she said in her speech - of which a copy was sent to Stuff.

'It is an important time to act to revitalise te reo Māori. It is a taonga, integral to New Zealand's cultural identity and can be a unifier across diverse communities and whānau.'

Working in partnerships - between Government, community, and whānau - was vital torevive language, culture and identity, she said.

'It is only by combining our efforts and coordinating the use of resources that we will create a shift in the right direction.'