Te Reo Māori a doorway to opportunity
Nanaia
MAHUTA
Māori Affairs Spokesperson
20
July 2014 MEDIA
STATEMENT
Te Reo Māori a doorway to opportunity
A Labour Government will ensure more of our children have the opportunity to learn te reo Māori by encouraging the learning and use of it in schools, Labour’s Māori Affairs spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta says.
Announcing Labour’s Te Reo Rangatira policy in Avondale today she said Labour wanted to both celebrate and safeguard the language and would do so providing opportunities to promote it as a living expression of indigenous identity.
“Te reo Māori is a taonga.
“As a country New Zealand is a leader in indigenous language learning settings such as Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Wharekura. Students graduating from these institutions have a higher proportion of success and positive research gains can be attributed to mainstream school settings.
“Teachers proficient in te reo Māori and who are able to teach across the school curriculum have Labour’s full support.
“We recognise that hapū and
iwi are increasingly committed to their own strategies and
plans for te reo Māori. Labour will work in partnership
with those aspirations to advance a fully endorsed Māori
Language Strategy.
“Labour wants to see te reo Māori
flourish and grow and that will require leadership in the
home, at a local and central government level.
“To
achieve our aspiration that te reo Māori becomes a working
language for all New Zealanders, we will continue to make
improvements across the public sector that will raise the
capability and accessibility of te reo Māori.
“As an
official language Labour recognises te reo Māori is an
important doorway to a greater appreciation for heritage
languages and the aspirations of a more multicultural
society.”