Hello, Kia Ora. Welcome, Haere Mai.
My name is Matthew and I am a university student based in Auckland, New Zealand whose task it is to create a discussion blog about a topic or issue that is relevant to today's society. I have chosen the topic of Te Reo Māori being compulsory in New Zealand schools as part of the New Zealand curriculum as I believe it is an important issue for the future of our country as well as for the future of the Māori language itself.
I believe it is relevant to mention that I am of New Zealand European descent (Pakeha). I am not Māori and have no known Māori ancestors, yet I am still for the Māori language being compulsory in all English-medium New Zealand schools from Year 1 to Year 13. In this blog, I will be using various resources to show you why I think this is important, and at times I will play the devil's advocate in order to show issues on the 'other side of the fence', so to speak, and to get the discussion going.
Thank you for reading and until next time, ka kite ano.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Nation's Identity
It may sound cynical to some, to others it will ring true -- New Zealand is only too keen to use the Māori language and the Māori culture when it suits us. Just think: tourism ventures, sporting events, school assemblies and pōwhiris, graduations, funerals... Should I continue?
But how many of you can understand or even recite the Māori lyrics of our national anthem, always sung alongside the English version? And how many of you understand a single word of what's being said at school prize givings? I remember one year sitting in the scorching sun for over an hour while my school had a Pōwhiri to welcome all the new students at the beginning of the year. The Māori teacher spoke rapidly in his native tongue, constantly gesturing to us, his audience and back to the timid new students waiting quietly by the school gate. It's fair to say the majority of us had no idea what was going on. We would then sing songs in Māori, most of us craning our necks in order to see the the lyrics on the small projector screen over by the gym wall. I remember our principal then blundering his way through a set of Māori prayers and welcomes before continuing his speech in English. I used to wonder what the point of it was when none of the students knew what was going on. Honestly, it made me hate the Māori language and see anyone using it in a very negative way.
However, as I got older and I ventured out into the "real world", I began to realize my negative feelings towards the Māori language and the Māori culture were only down to my lack of knowledge about them. I can't help but think if I had been given the opportunity to study Māori at school in the same way we study maths or geography, maybe things would be different. Education and knowledge, therefore, is the key.
So what is Māori and why is it so important?
Māori is one of New Zealand's three official languages, along with English and New Zealand Sign Language. It was made official under the Maori Language Act 1987. This act gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as in court and it also established the Maori Language Commission to promote the language. The New Zealand Curriculum Online states that "Te reo Māori is indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a taonga [a treasured thing] recognised under the Treaty of Waitangi, a primary source of our nation’s self-knowledge and identity,... By understanding and using te reo Māori, New Zealanders become more aware of the role played by the indigenous language and culture in defining and asserting our point of difference in the wider world." Self-knowledge. Identity. Our point of difference. All very bold statements that bring about feelings of a sense of place and belonging. So why is it that New Zealanders are not willing to embrace this? In a recent survey of 500 willing Kiwi participants, only 38% of people stated that they would like to see Māori as a compulsory subject in New Zealand schools. Even though it is spoken by around 160,000 people to varying degrees of fluency, the Māori language is still considered to be an endangered language. Can New Zealanders not see that there is a way to save a language while at the same time standing out as a multi-lingual, multi-cultural country? Are we as a nation scared of the bad connotations that go along with this language and the culture in which it was born? I see nothing but positives coming out of compulsory Māori teaching, the main idea being that all New Zealanders would be as one and we would have an easier time understanding each other.
In future posts I plan on answering these questions and more while using examples of other countries' attempts at language and culture preservation. I will also be looking at the attitudes, values and beliefs towards the Māori language in my next post.
But how many of you can understand or even recite the Māori lyrics of our national anthem, always sung alongside the English version? And how many of you understand a single word of what's being said at school prize givings? I remember one year sitting in the scorching sun for over an hour while my school had a Pōwhiri to welcome all the new students at the beginning of the year. The Māori teacher spoke rapidly in his native tongue, constantly gesturing to us, his audience and back to the timid new students waiting quietly by the school gate. It's fair to say the majority of us had no idea what was going on. We would then sing songs in Māori, most of us craning our necks in order to see the the lyrics on the small projector screen over by the gym wall. I remember our principal then blundering his way through a set of Māori prayers and welcomes before continuing his speech in English. I used to wonder what the point of it was when none of the students knew what was going on. Honestly, it made me hate the Māori language and see anyone using it in a very negative way.
However, as I got older and I ventured out into the "real world", I began to realize my negative feelings towards the Māori language and the Māori culture were only down to my lack of knowledge about them. I can't help but think if I had been given the opportunity to study Māori at school in the same way we study maths or geography, maybe things would be different. Education and knowledge, therefore, is the key.
So what is Māori and why is it so important?
Māori is one of New Zealand's three official languages, along with English and New Zealand Sign Language. It was made official under the Maori Language Act 1987. This act gave speakers a right to use it in legal settings such as in court and it also established the Maori Language Commission to promote the language. The New Zealand Curriculum Online states that "Te reo Māori is indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a taonga [a treasured thing] recognised under the Treaty of Waitangi, a primary source of our nation’s self-knowledge and identity,... By understanding and using te reo Māori, New Zealanders become more aware of the role played by the indigenous language and culture in defining and asserting our point of difference in the wider world." Self-knowledge. Identity. Our point of difference. All very bold statements that bring about feelings of a sense of place and belonging. So why is it that New Zealanders are not willing to embrace this? In a recent survey of 500 willing Kiwi participants, only 38% of people stated that they would like to see Māori as a compulsory subject in New Zealand schools. Even though it is spoken by around 160,000 people to varying degrees of fluency, the Māori language is still considered to be an endangered language. Can New Zealanders not see that there is a way to save a language while at the same time standing out as a multi-lingual, multi-cultural country? Are we as a nation scared of the bad connotations that go along with this language and the culture in which it was born? I see nothing but positives coming out of compulsory Māori teaching, the main idea being that all New Zealanders would be as one and we would have an easier time understanding each other.
In future posts I plan on answering these questions and more while using examples of other countries' attempts at language and culture preservation. I will also be looking at the attitudes, values and beliefs towards the Māori language in my next post.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Attitudes towards the Māori language in New Zealand
The Maori Language Strategy was launched in 1988 to provide co-ordination and direction across the Government for Maori Language focused policies, programmes and resources. The key outcome of this Strategy is to strengthen the status of the Maori language in New Zealand. (2009 Survey of Attitudes, Values and Beliefs Towards the Maori Language, Te Puni Kokiri). Their key findings from the Te Puni Kokiri Maori Language Survey in 2009 were quite positive and are as follows:
* 68% of the Maori population believe that 'not enough' Maori language is currently being spoken.
* the percentage of non-Maori who believe that 'not enough' Maori is being spoken has increased since 2003 from 30% to 38%, which is a great leap and gives hope to the argument that Maori should be compulsory in New Zealand schools.
The survey states that in general, "the results present a picture of increasing Maori language status. This is significant for Maori language revitalisation efforts."
* 68% of the Maori population believe that 'not enough' Maori language is currently being spoken.
* the percentage of non-Maori who believe that 'not enough' Maori is being spoken has increased since 2003 from 30% to 38%, which is a great leap and gives hope to the argument that Maori should be compulsory in New Zealand schools.
The survey states that in general, "the results present a picture of increasing Maori language status. This is significant for Maori language revitalisation efforts."
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Top Decile Schools Teaching Te Reo Maori
King's College, located in Otahuhu, South Auckland, is one of New Zealand's top private schools with a majority of New Zealand European students. However, after tragically losing 3 of its students in 2010, the schools turned to the Maori language and the Maori culture for help and guidance in their time of need. The video below explains:
King's College is the first private school to make Maori compulsory for Year 9 and 10 students. Some good points made in this video include the fact that within New Zealand, there is greater need for understanding of the Maori culture, the Maori language and of the Treaty of Waitangi within the workforce. Having Maori as an official language will then equip the students, our future generation, with the knowledge they need for the real world.
Also, with some Maori students in the college, some with the help of scholarship schemes, they felt it was important for those students to understand the language and the culture.
I feel that if King's College, who have a small number of Maori students, 5% (Marae TV) can adopt Maori as a compulsory subject, I do not see why the rest of New Zealand schools can't as well. At least they are standing there as a model for the rest of New Zealand to see.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
References
Here are a list of references I have used in this blog:
Maori Language Commission. (n.d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 May 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_Language_Commission
Ministry of Maori Development. (2003). The Maori Language Strategy. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/in-print/our-publications/publications/the-maori-language-strategy/download/tpk-maorilangstrat-2003.pdf
New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2010). The New Zealand Curriculum Online, Official Languages. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Official-languages
New Zealand Tourism. (2006). 100% Pure New Zealand. Retrieved 16 May 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-0knDpn5g
Powhiri. (n.d). In Wikipedia Retrieved 16 May 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%8Dwhiri
Research New Zealand. (2010). Compulsory Teaching of Te Reo Maori in Schools. Retrieved 12 May 2011 from http://www.researchnz.com/pdf/Media%20Releases/RNZ%20Media%20Release%20-%202010-08-19%20Te%20Reo%20Maori%20in%20schools.pdf
Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori. (2008). Maori Language Act, 1987. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/act87/index.shtml
Maori Language Commission. (n.d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 May 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_Language_Commission
Ministry of Maori Development. (2003). The Maori Language Strategy. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/in-print/our-publications/publications/the-maori-language-strategy/download/tpk-maorilangstrat-2003.pdf
New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2010). The New Zealand Curriculum Online, Official Languages. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Official-languages
New Zealand Tourism. (2006). 100% Pure New Zealand. Retrieved 16 May 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-0knDpn5g
Powhiri. (n.d). In Wikipedia Retrieved 16 May 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%8Dwhiri
Research New Zealand. (2010). Compulsory Teaching of Te Reo Maori in Schools. Retrieved 12 May 2011 from http://www.researchnz.com/pdf/Media%20Releases/RNZ%20Media%20Release%20-%202010-08-19%20Te%20Reo%20Maori%20in%20schools.pdf
Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori. (2008). Maori Language Act, 1987. Retrieved 15 May 2011 from http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/act87/index.shtml
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