Hilda Halkyard- Harawira

Te Pire Reo Māori to Māori Language Advisory Group

For 110 years in the history of Aotearoa, Te Reo Māori was systematically banished from the school curriculum and devalued by the wider community, the institutions of Aotearoa and parliament.

In 1972, Ngā Tamatoa called for Te Reo Māori to be taught in schools. Te Reo Māori Society and Te Whakapumau i Te Reo lodged a successful Wai 11 claim with the Waitangi Tribunal , but The NZ Māori Council had to take Te Reo Māori claim to The Privy Council in England before Te Reo Māori was recognised as a Tiriti right. Consequently Te Reo Māori become an official language in 1987.

Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, kura a Iwi, Wharekura , Wānanga, Ataarangi, Puna Reo, Iwi Radio, Aotearoa TV and later Māori Television are the fruition of the dreams of ordinary Māori to retain and revitalise Te Reo Māori, the mother tongue of Aotearoa .

These are important accomplishments in a backdrop of 5 and a half generations where society swallowed the mantra of English language is best. The result of Te reo Māori being absent for 110 years is the fear adapted by many Māori that Te Reo Māori will not advance your education or job prospects.  Te Reo Māori is an industry of great potential. Te Reo Māori is an important factor in the wellness of our society.

I congratulate the Māori Language Advisory Panel for visiting us in the North and these are some of the concerns raised with them regarding Te Matawai.

The Waitangi Tribunal –should give clearance for this bill to proceed to ensure :
a. matters of Wai 11 and Wai 262 are not compromised;
b. the roles of Te Taura Whiri and Te Māngai Pāho are strengthened and not compromised.
2) NZ Māori Council should be given the courtesy to be consulted on this bill as they took the case to the Privy Council.
3) It is unclear what is the role of Te Puni Kokiri in this new structure.
4) The political motivation to hand over the responsibility of Te Reo to Iwi – Iwi Rūnanga is laudable but a narrow view. In the past 30 years only a few Iwi have made a commitment for the retention of Te Reo and usually via other institutions. Ngāti Raukawa led the drive to increase their numbers of fluent speakers over a 25 year period until 2000 and beyond; Kai Tahu instigated 1000 kaika- 1000 Māori speaking homes. Ngāti Awa developed Reo programmes via Awanuiārangi. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa based in Waikato had a global view to teach Reo Māori and in some instances Reo Māori has been taught via mainstream tertiary organisations. There are new whānau reo groupings that exist beyond Iwi territories who have driven the revival of Te Reo and who should be recognised as key stakeholders in the future of Te Reo Māori.
5) There are organisations who have had a long standing relationship with revitalisation of Te Reo. Reo funding should target the primary organisations that keep Te Reo alive: Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Wānanga, Irirangi Māori, Māori TV Ataarangi etc. Allocating 3 seats to the Reo Tukutuku limits.
6) The Bill does not tie responsibilities to Ministry of Education and all other state entities to implement Te Reo and Tiriti practices. The commitment of funding to train Te Reo Māori teachers from Kohanga Reo to Wānanga must be a state responsibility and not an Iwi burden.
7) There is no māngai for Ngāpuhi let alone Muriwhenua on Te Matawai.
8) Nobody in Tai Tokerau funds properly regional Manu Kōrero, regional and national schools, kapa haka , secondary kura reo– which are key annual focal points for the rangatahi in Northland.

I pay special tribute to the late Erima Henare for his support of young minds learning Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori. I wish to pay respects to all our kaumātua and kuia who continued to speak Te Reo in diversity; to the non- speaker learners of Te Reo like Hana Te Hemara, Titewhai Harawira, Syd Jackson mā who pushed for Te Reo in kura and the early pioneers of Te Reo Māori programmes.

Tai Tokerau have some notable reo Māori exponents in our midst like: Pā Tate, Dr Patu Hohepa , Haami Piripi, Shane Jones, Taipari Munro, Naida Glavish, Sonny Tau, Hone Sadler, Pierre Lyndon, Ngāwai Herewini, Hirini Henare, Kingi Taurua, Julian Wilcox ,Joe Everitt, Keita Kapa,  Anaru Rieper, Nāu Epiha, Rahera Shortland, Evelyn Tobin  and Anaru Martin to name a few . There is also a new frontier of Reo Māori advocates who hail from Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Ataarangi who are now broadening the teaching spectrum of Te Reo Māori.

In Europe it is normal for a child to learn 4 languages. On an Emirates plane, English is the 8th language. John Campbell consistently said “Kia ora” on his night shows. Indian and Chinese shopkeepers willingly greet their customers with “kia ora”. In hui Māori if one person does not speak Māori the whole hui will convert to English, therefore diminishing the occasions where we can stay in Te Reo. Māori broadcasting and Māori agencies have a role to play in uplifting Te Reo.

Our kaumātua and kuia are correct, the will for Te Reo Māori resides with Māori willingness to learn and continue to speak in all situations. Te Reo Māori should not be confined to ceremonial occasions and its survival requires constant use and sharing. In Aotearoa , it should be normal for a child to be bi-lingual.

The role of the amended Māori Language Bill should be to :
1 .Protect Te Reo Māori as a national taonga.
2 Establish clear direction and strategies for Te Reo Māori.
3. Create opportunities for Māori to determine and drive outcomes for Te Reo.
4. Clarify the roles and functions of both Māori and Crown in respect to Te Reo Māori .