Māori Language Commission supports Miss New Zealand

23 December 2015

Māori Language Commission supports Miss New Zealand

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori is supporting Miss New Zealand Deborah Lambie after the recent Miss World Pageant.

"Deborah’s haka may not be typical of those we see but the good intent and the way she prepared with haka exponent Kereama Te Ua is a process many of us would recommend a learner follow," said Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui.

"Te reo Māori is an integral component of haka and if we are to revive te reo Māori and increase the number of speakers then we need to create a safe environment for people wanting to learn and speak te reo.

"That means turning negatives into positives – one of the known barriers to learning te reo Māori is the fear of criticism. Everyone has a right to an opinion but many of the comments aimed at Deborah after the Miss World pageant were typical of the criticism experienced by many te reo Māori learners.

"Many people cut their learning of the language short because they are humiliated for making a mistake or for not doing it “properly.”

Encouraging safe te reo Māori learning environments for learners and teachers will be a key focus for the commission over the next 12 months, said Mr Apanui.

"If people think it's unsafe to learn te reo Māori then they won't. Consequently less learners means less speakers.

"I'm happy that Deborah was able to share a small part of our culture and te reo Māori with the world. And I'm even happier to hear she will be learning te reo Māori in the near future.”

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