25-year plan to lift Maori language

By AUDREY YOUNG

Government departments will have to develop five-year plans to make the Maori language part of their services.

The measure is part of a 25-year plan, being issued today, to revitalise the Maori language through use in the community, rather than through formal education.

Maori has been an official language of New Zealand since 1987.

A report on the plan says it is important for people to be able to use Maori in dealing with public services.

It says this will "support the increased use of the Maori language and will enhance the value of the Maori language within New Zealand society".

Making the speaking of Maori a normal part of family and community settings is the key to the plan.

Its key goal says: "By 2028, Maori language will be widely spoken by Maori.

In particular, the Maori language will be in common use within Maori whanau, homes and communities. All New Zealanders will appreciate the value of the Maori language to New Zealand society."

Government measures will include providing public services in the Maori language, continuing support for Maori broadcasting and education, Maori language arts such as kapa haka and speech competitions, and having Maori language archives in the National Library.

The Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri, will monitor the progress of all agencies.

But much of the way the plan will work is yet to be determined. This will be done by communities themselves.

"Maori have the lead role to play in revitalising the Maori language because ultimately the language is a Maori taonga," says the report.

Language revitalisation requires planning at community level, it says, and iwi, hapu and other Maori organisations are best placed to do this.

The report says tribal and regional differences in Maori must be maintained.

Since the 1970s, the revitalisation of the language has depended on building a critical mass of speakers through formal education.

While that has to continue, the report says, the plan will focus on greater use of the Maori language in the community.

"By normalising the use of Maori language in whanau settings, language acquisition by future generations will become an accepted feature of everyday life and this will see the language flourish."

Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia says in the report that the health of the Maori language was severely compromised through the 20th century.

Maori initiated ways to retain it, supported by the Government.

That provided a solid foundation, but greater planning and co-ordination are required for the next 25 years.

Facts on te reo

* About 130,000 people - 25 per cent of the Maori population - speak Maori.

* 68 per cent of Maori believe having more Maori spoken in public is good.

* Fewer than 1 per cent of non-Maori speak Maori.

* Most non-Maori have a positive or neutral attitude towards Maori learning and speaking Maori in Maori settings.

* 40 per cent of non-Maori support the use of Maori in wider society.

* About 600 Maori language immersion early childhood services, mainly kohanga reo, are educating 10,000 children, or about 15 per cent of Maori children.

* About 14 per cent of Maori school students - 21,500 pupils - are completing some of their learning in Maori language.