Te reo expert calls for changes

Photo / Wanganui Chronicle

Maori language resources should be diverted from struggling areas back into regions and tribes with strong te reo abilities, a language expert says.

A Victoria University linguist, Winifred Bauer, believes the language will stagnate - with no improvement in quality or numbers of proficient speakers - without this change.

Dr Bauer, who teaches at the university's Te Kawa a Maui school, has studied the two most relied-upon data sets used to track the health of the Maori language.

In her paper Is the Health of Te Reo Maori Improving, she argues te reo resources, including money, and immersion schooling provided by the best Maori teachers, should be concentrated.

She identifies an 80 per cent population level of speakers necessary in communities for the language to flourish.

"I believe that the best strategy for saving te reo Maori would be to put our efforts into fostering Maori in those communities which have the best chance of delivering 80 per cent of the community able to speak Maori."

She reasoned that the overflow of talented individuals from these communities would then spread the language across the country.

The "all-in" approach aims higher than the current Te Puni Kokiri Maori Development Ministry's aim for the majority of Maori to be able to speak te reo to some extent by 2028.

But it is an idea that may meet resistance because while some communities of real excellence may develop, the chances are as high that te reo could all but die out in others.

"I know this idea will be hard to swallow, I totally accept that. What I'm saying is that if the direction is to get a smattering of bad Maori everywhere, all you get is bad Maori," Dr Bauer said.

Waikato University academic and leading te reo exponent Professor Pou Temara said the idea was interesting.

"If I gave an academic answer, I think Dr Bauer's proposal is a very good one, but as to my Maori heart - he raruraru [it's troublesome]."

He said many iwi leaders were opposed to a cover-all Maori language devoid of tribal nuance, so geographically selecting special communities who would then take their language brand to other regions would be a hard sell. However, Dr Bauer's proposal raised an important question.

"Do we learn Tuhoe or Ngati Porou or Ngati Kahungunu language or do we just learn Maori?"

* Adult Maori who speak te reo:

Well or very well 14 per cent

Fairly well 13 per cent

Poorly 24 per cent

A few words 48 per cent

Source: The Maori Language Survey 2006