Te Reo Māori (the Māori language) has long been a site of contestation between colonial powers and the indigenous population of Aotearoa. In living memory, kids at school were punished for speaking Te Reo Māori instead of English. The famed artist and activist, Tame Iti (Tūhoe), was made to write lines, which later feature in his art. The current government seems intent on carrying on with that contest on the battlefield of language. It is not hard to see why. Language is the vehicle of culture.
Under the Labour government of previous years, those in the education have been able to access Te Reo Māori training with private training providers in an effort by the Ministry of Education to foreground the language and to bring a greater use of the language for the benefit Māori students. This training has been funded by the government. From a ministry that actively suppressed the language no so long ago, it has become one of the most vocal proponents of the language, seeing it as vital, not only for Māori, but also for Aotearoa as a whole. The current government, under National and their coalition partners, seek to end such training opportunities. While they claim budgetary concerns, it seems there may be a wider agenda.
Many government branches have adopted Te Reo names since Labour came into power, again to promote the use of Māori and to recognise it as the original language of Aotearoa. The current government moved to reverse this process, and more, bringing English back to the forefront. The real irony is that Aotearoa has two official languages: NZ Sign Language and Te Reo Māori. English is not even official in this land.
When one couples these two decisions with the Treaty Principles Bill, pushed by David Seymour of ACT ( a coalition partner for National), there appears a certain desire to remove the special status that Māori have as the original and founding people, guardians and inhabitants of this land. It also seems the current government seeks to sweep massive social, educational, justice and health disparities under the carpet.
It seems the government might have under-estimated the passion people have for Te Reo Māori. At a store stocking clothing for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2024, the management severely underestimated demand. The store opened at 8am. Their entire stock was gone in 30 minutes. Online stock had been sold out since 6am. Those who bought the merchandise were a mix of Māori and pākehā, the latter making up the majority.
Training providers who teach Te Reo Māori to Aotearoa’s educators and the staff who work hard to support them have massive waiting lists. They simply cannot meet demand with their current resources of people to teach the education sector.
Te Reo Māori is a tāonga o Aotearoa (a national treasure). It needs to be nurtured and cultivated by all. Māori people have suffered nearly 200 years of colonial rule and the claim we are in a post-colonial world is simply bollocks and those like David Seymour are either delusional or actively full of crap.
Kia kaha Te Reo Māori.