Spending on te reo inefficient - expert

Erima Henare. Photo / Supplied

One of the country's top te reo Maori experts wants the Government to get more return for the money it spends on language initiatives.

Erima Henare, chairman of the Maori Language Commission, said if a stocktake was not done on the efficiency of the annual spending, the number of fluent speakers could decline.

Thirty-five years ago, when the seriousness of the language's decline was first identified, there were 70,000 proficient speakers. Today there were just 18,000 and the "ironic and cruel twist" was that the language was probably more widely seen and heard now than ever before, Mr Henare said.

There was no clear picture yesterday on how much the Government spends on initiatives, but the commission, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, puts the total figure at $400 million a year.

The Maori Development Ministry, Te Puni Kokiri, said the figure was likely to be much lower. It could not say how much lower.

"Various government departments spend [millions] on Maori language initiatives but there is no co-ordinated approach," Mr Henare said. "This situation cannot be allowed to continue because there is simply too much at stake."

Much of the spending went on tertiary courses and that should be re-targeted.

"The majority of people who access that funding don't complete anything higher than a certificate level. The second thing is that language revitalisation starts with children and families in the home - it doesn't start with people at tertiary level.

"What I'm saying is we really need to look at the outcomes they get for that money. Maybe it is better directed at families. I'm not just talking about Maori families, I'm talking about Kiwi families that want to learn."

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples said the commission contributed to the Maori Language Strategy. "The strategy spells out the Crown's commitment to work in partnership with Maori to protect this taonga ... It [Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori] is currently leading other Government agencies on a review and update to make sure we are still getting the best bang for the buck."

Mr Henare said although his commission and Te Puni Kokiri were doing a review, only the Government could make funding changes.

He rated Maori Language Week, which ended on Sunday, one of the best in recent years.

Positive feedback to different media initiatives had flooded into the commission. Cumulatively every bit of promotion went a long way to ensuring the language's future.

"I flew back from Wellington and the pilot gave a short mihi encouraging people to take up te reo Maori. I thought, 'That's where it's starting to happen, ordinary New Zealanders picking it up and speaking to their mates using it in the pub.'

"The future of te reo Maori is really that all New Zealanders speak it, not just 500,000.

"Anecdotal evidence is that Pakeha are picking it up at a greater rate than possibly Maori are. That's a positive note."