Te Reo Māori blooming despite recent government's shifts

Te reo Māori continues to thrive in the public space, according to experts, despite the government’s recent efforts to minimise its use in the naming of Crown entities.

Former te reo Māori teacher, and Henderson-Massey Local Board’s deputy chairperson, Will Flavell (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Whatua, and Ngāti Maniapoto) says the recent political shift is disheartening, but the public commitment to strengthening te reo in daily life remains strong, with many continuing to push for its wider use.

“Night classes and university programs continue to experience high enrolment.

“Kapa haka, huge gatherings like Matatini, dynamically showcase te reo Māori.

“Social media also plays a growing role, with engaging content attracting new learners.”

Professor of Māori Philosophy of Education at AUT Georgina Stewart (Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu and Pare Hauraki) says: “Recent research is showing that even if non-Māori do not speak te reo Māori, they are able to identify Māori words with high accuracy, indicating a latent knowledge.”

As well as this, Auckland Transport recently began installing 219 te reo Māori cycleway signs across 97 locations across Tāmaki Makaurau since October last year — and in 2021 it introduced te reo Māori alongside English audio announcements on buses.

AT spokesperson Natalie Polley says it is still fully committed to delivering its responsibilities under Auckland Council’s Māori Language Policy despite the recent political shift.

“The use of street and place names in te reo Māori helps to support the Council’s goal of te reo Māori being seen, heard and spoken across the wider transport network and city.”

This is all despite the New Zealand First Coalition Agreement in November last year, that states “all public service departments have their primary name in English, except for those specifically related to Māori.”

This means renaming all Crown-owned organisations , for example, changing ‘Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’ to ‘NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.’

Stewart believes that using te reo Māori in public transport is one way of showing that the language is becoming normalised but says it is long overdue.

“As an official national language since 1987, we should not even blink when te reo Māori is being used in public places – we should expect this.

“We might reasonably wonder what took Auckland Council so long to adopt such a policy?”

Flavell says that AT has been a “key player” in contributing to the policy.

“Te reo Māori announcements on buses and trains are a fantastic way to naturally integrate the language into everyday life for the public.”

Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) has a goal of one million te reo speakers in Aotearoa by 2040, which Flavell thinks is ambitious, but achievable.