The Government’s decision to cut funding to Māori Television - Whakaata Māori - and Māori Teacher Training is another devastating attack on Māori, says PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Janice Panoho.

"This is yet another breach of Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which protects our taonga tuku iho, including the language and cultural heritage of Māori," Panoho says.

"This attack on indigenous broadcasting is an affront to our people, and part of an ongoing attack on Māori. We must oppose this government’s agenda to exploit race as a political tool to undermine Te Reo Māori and eliminate Māori news and programmes.

"It is a fact that Māori tamariki and rangatahi thrive in Kaupapa Māori education environments fare better than in mainstream schooling. We need more Māori teachers to inspire our young ones and to reinforce the importance and future of learning Te Reo Māori.

"The recent remarks made by Education Minister Erica Stanford, where she claimed that maths achievement take priority over the revitalization of Te Reo Māori, are typical of this government’s disregard for our culture. These comments ignore the reality that both academic and cultural success go hand in hand for Māori students.

"The loss of $30 million to fund Māori Teachers training and $10.3 million in time-locked funding, provided by the previous government, will have serious consequences for the future of Māori broadcasting and education.

"Despite the pleas in Parliament yesterday by former Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson, who urged the government to invest in Whakaata Māori, there has been no indication that this coalition government intends to step in and provide the necessary support.

"This is a direct attack on the future of Te Reo Māori and the Māori voice in media. Māori will not stand by while our language and our identity are diminished. The Government must be held accountable for their actions and their disregard for the commitments of Te Tiriti o Waitangi," Panoho says.

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