Prime Minister Chris Luxon was asked about the government's intention to stop bonuses to civil servants and teachers who learn to speak te reo Māori.
Video / Mark Mitchell
Public Service Minister Nicola Willis said last week the Government would prevent further bonuses being negotiated for te reo Māori proficiency but has since softened her comments, stating they will only be removed in circumstances where they’re “not relevant”.
Willis told 1News reporters on Tuesday the Government would uphold all employment clauses in existing contracts.
It is not yet known what cuts and where will occur. Currently, more than a dozen state agencies pay te reo allowances that start at $500 and top out at $3500 a year, RNZ reported.
A total of 21 departments and ministries showed two-thirds had allowances negotiated in their collective pay deals, including the Ministry of Justice, Education, Corrections and Environment.
Piripi said in most cases the payments were “very minor” but continued to allow a mechanism for the “revitalisation” of reo Māori. Using the language in the public service space, he explained, was the “secret to achieving effectiveness” when working with Māori communities.
“It’s a travesty and it’s been incremented by people who should know better. I’m just disappointed.”
Former Māori Language Commissioner Haami Piripi. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Piripi said Tai Tokerau is one of the last regions, alongside Tairāwhiti, that still speaks Maōri as a first language.
However, he said it’s a “dying breed” that needs to be fostered.
Te Kura o Waikare teacher and NZEI Te Riu Roa member Tuhitaare Nohotima said the idea of slashing allowances for te reo Māori “cuts deep”.
Nohotima has been immersed in the world of te reo since birth.
The Waikare teacher has an ability to provide relevance through Māori storytelling.
“If a child is upset I will refer back to their particular ancestor leading back to their particular gods to make them feel better.
“One of the main contributions to being Māori is having the ability to access information and access memories for you to use it as a platform and as a means of moving forward into the future.”
Last week Act leader David Seymour told Waatea News that funds for professional development may belong in the te reo Māori space but not in mainstream schools.
“But if it’s purely as a blanket thing when perhaps that teacher has no intention of ever teaching te reo or working in a Māori medium environment then I’d question whether that’s the best use of their time or anyone’s resources,” he said.
Te Tai Tokearu Principals Association chairperson Pat Newman said Seymour shows a “total misunderstanding of reality”.
“He questions the point of paying such allowances to teachers in the mainstream but he doesn’t get the point that 90 to 95 per cent of Māori students are in mainstream,” Newman said.
The Advocate contacted relevant ministers for comment but did not hear back by edition time.
Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
