State of Māori language still perilous

23 July 2009
 

Media Release
 

State of Māori language still perilous

In the lead up to Māori Language Week, beginning next week, the Māori Language Commissioner Erima Henare states categorically that the language is still in a perilous state. 

“Complacency is our biggest enemy in language revitalisation.  There is a perception that with the increased presence of Māori language on television, on the radio, and in schools, that the language is secure.  However this is not the case.  Statistics from Census 2006 show that only 23% of Māori adults have the ability to speak Māori ‘about a lot of everyday things’.  Translated into numbers this means that there are roughly 131,600 speakers.  According to the Health of the Māori Language survey 2006 only 14% of this population are proficient speakers, meaning that of a population of 565,000 Māori people, there are only 18,000 fluent speakers.  It’s a very sobering statistic.  What conclusion can be drawn other than to say the language is still in a perilous state”, says Erima Henare.

Better collaboration between agencies and organisations across private and public sectors is what’s required in order for language revitalisation to be achieved.

“At Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) we know that the critical aspect of te reo Māori revitalisation is ensuring that supports are in place to create this thing we call ‘intergenerational transmission’, which basically means ensuring te reo Māori is the default language of the home spoken between the various generations of the whānau”, says Erima Henare.

“To that end we also acknowledge the importance of community in supporting this to occur which is why we have designated ‘Māori Language in the Community’ as the theme for Māori Language Week this year.  It is also the reason we have developed strategic relationships with organisations and businesses that influence whānau and community environments” says Erima Henare.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori is also jointly leading a review of the government’s Māori Language Strategy with Te Puni Kōkiri. 

“It is Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori view that the strategy would be better aligned to supporting language initiatives which revitalise hapu and iwi dialects and other successful community based projects.  These various programmes form a fundamental platform for the normalisation of the language into the wider fabric of the nation’s identity and culture” says Erima Henare.

ENDS   

Te 23 o Hōngongoi 2009
 

He Pānui Pāpāho
 

Kei te noho mōrearea tonu te reo Māori. 

Kua whakatata atu nei tātou ki te Wiki o te Reo Māori ka tīmata ā tērā wiki, me te aha, kua puta te kupu a te Toihau o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori a Erima Henare e kī ana, kei  te tino kino te noho mōrearea o te reo Māori. 

E ai ki tāna, “Ko te tino hoariri o te whakaora ake i te reo Māori, ko te pōhēhē e ora ana te reo.  Nā  te mea kua kaha ake te kōrerohia o te reo Māori i te pouaka whakaata, i ngā reo irirangi me ngā kura, e whakaarotia ana kei te ora te reo Māori. Kātahi nei te pōhēhē ko tēnei. E ai ki ngā tatauranga a Te Tari Tatau o te tau 2006, ka taea e tētahi 23% o te hunga pakeke te kōrero mō ngā momo āhuatanga o ia rā, ki te reo Māori. Ki te hurihia ēnei tatauranga hei tau, kei tōna 131,600 nei te hunga kōrero Māori. E ai ki nga rangahautanga i puta i te Health of the Māori Language i te tau 2006, 14% noa iho o ēnei tāngata he matatau ki te reo. Ko te tikanga o tērā kōrero, o ngā tāngata Māori e 565,000 katoa, 18,000 noa iho he matatau ki te reo. Whakamataku ana ēnei tatauranga”. Hei tā Erima, “Me pēhea atu hoki he kōrero atu i te kī, kei te tino raruraru tonu tō tātou reo.” 

Mā te mahi ngātahi rawa a ngā tari, a ngā whakahaere o te rāngai tūmatanui me te rāngai tūmataiti, e ora ake ai te reo Māori.

Hei tā Erima Henare, “E mōhio ana Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori ko te mea tino nui hei whakaora ake i te reo, ko te noho mai o ngā momo tautoko katoa, kia taea ai te mea e kīia nei ko te ‘reo tuku iho’ ā, ko te tohu o tēnei, ko te noho mai o te reo hei reo kōrerorero i te kāinga, arā, e kōrerohia ana e tēnā reanga, e tēnā reanga o te whānau. 

“I runga i tēnei whakaaro, kāore i tua atu i te hapori ki te tautoko i tēnei whāinga, ā koia rā i tohua ai ko ‘Te Reo Māori i te Hapori’ te whāinga matua mō te Wiki o te Reo Māori mō tēnei tau.  Koia anō te take i whakatakotohia ai he hononga rautaki ki ngā whakahaere me ngā pakihi e whai wāhi atu ana ki ngā whānau me te hapori”.

E ārahi tahi ana Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori me Te Puni Kōkiri i ngā whakahounga o te Rautaki Reo Māori a te kāwanatanga.

Hei tā Erima, “E whakapono ana Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori ka pai ake mehemea ka aro nui te rautaki nei ki te tautoko i ngā mahi a ngā iwi me ngā hapū ki te whakaora ake i ō rātou ake reo, me ētahi atu kaupapa kua tutuki pai i te hapori. Ka noho hoki ngā mahi nei hei tūāpapa mō te noho māori mai o te reo ki te whānuitanga atu o ngā kaupapa e tohu ana i ngā tāngata, i ngā tikanga o Aotearoa.

KA MUTU

ends
 

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