Backing for te reo M¯aori as a core school subject

Support for compulsory te reo Ma¯ori in schools continues to grow, new data suggests.

The latest figures from Stats NZ revealed that 61.9% of people aged 15 and over supported the move for te reo Ma¯ ori to become a core subject in primary schools. This is compared to 56.5% in 2018 and 53.9% in 2016.

Among Ma¯ ori the statistics are higher, with 85% agreeing or strongly agreeing that te reo Ma¯ ori should be a core subject in primary schools.

Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis said Aotearoa was on the path to te reo becoming compulsory in schools. However, he said New Zealand was not ready for compulsory te reo in schools.

‘‘You only have to walk into a classroom today to see that we are well on the path to te reo being a core part of everyday life at school,’’ Davis said.

‘‘A huge effort has gone in to get us here and the Government has been a big proponent on increasing Ma¯ori language and culture within the school system.’’

Davis said programmes such as Te Ahu o te Reo Ma¯ ori were an example of this. As te reo competency grew among the teaching workforce we would see this grow even further, he said.

The Government had committed about $200 million to Ma¯ ori education in this year’s Budget.

‘‘What I don’t want is for the path we are on to be derailed by the political backlash we would likely face if we forced through a curriculum change now,’’ he said.

‘‘By continuing to lay the groundwork we will ensure that when it is time to make te reo a compulsory subject, Aotearoa will be ready.’’

Race relations commissioner and life-long te reo Ma¯ ori student Meng Foon called for a five-year strategy for te reo Ma¯ori to be incorporated in schools as a core subject earlier in 2022.

‘‘It is all about building a socially cohesive country where everyone is on the same page and unified in our approach to indigenous culture,’’ he said.

The data also revealed younger age groups tended to be more supportive of the use of te reo Ma¯ ori than older age groups.

In particular, 15–44-year-olds showed significantly higher levels of support for te reo Ma¯ ori usage than those aged 45 years and over.

However, support for te reo Ma¯ori use has increased since 2016 for both age groups.

The proportion of people able to speak te reo Ma¯ori at least fairly well also increased, from 6.1% in 2018 to 7.9% in 2021.