Te Reo Māori in the City:Mana Tamariki

Palmerston NorthAotearoa -New Zealand

Toni WahoBerlin SL

Symposium

August 2012

Te Reo Māori – the Māori language is a Polynesian

language

AOTEAROA

Māori Contact with Europeans1642 Able Tasman from Holland sails past our

Islands and claims discovery of New Zealand

1769 James Cook from England lands on our shores and erects the English flag claiming our country for England

1800 Between 100-200,000 Māori people

2,000 English people

1840 The Treaty of Waitangi – Agreement between Māori and the Queen of England leads to British colonisation

Loss – people, land, language

1840 – 1945

Māori people lived predominately in rural tribal areas.

1867 New Zealand state schools banned Māori language

1900 750,000 Europeans

40,000 Māori people

22M ha European owned

4 M ha Māori owned

Land loss: war, confiscation, “sale”

1867-1970

Māori children punished for speaking Māori language at school

Move to the Cities1945 Post World War II industrialisation.

Māori people encouraged to move from rural areas to live in cities and work in factories

1955 80% Māori live in cities. Parents stop speaking Māori language to children

1970 Urban based Māori youth protest against breach of Treaty of Waitangi and loss of Māori language

1979 8% Māori population speak Māori fluently

Protest and Language Growth1972 Māori language petition to Government:

Māori language in schools!

Te Reo Māori an official language

Māori language day

1981 Te Ataarangi Total Immersion Adult Community Māori Language Programme

1982 Te Kōhanga Reo: First total immersion Māori language preschools

1985 Te Kura o Hoani Waititi: first total immersion Māori language school

1987 Māori Language Commission

Māori Language an Official Language

1989 Education Act: s155 Te Kura Kaupapa Māori. Government fully funds total immersion Māori language schools

1990 900 Kōhanga Reo preschools

14,000 children

6 Kura Kaupapa Māori

150 children

2012 470 Kōhanga Reo

9000 children

100 Māori Medium Schools: total immersion

7000 children

2001 25.2% Māori speak Māori

2006 23.7% Māori speak Māori

2011 Review Panel of Māori language concerned about drop in speakers after successful increase since 1979

$600M – Government spends on revitalisation of Māori language. Focus should be:

“Māori language in family and community” for intergenerational transmission”

TENNENT + BROWN

Mana Tamariki – Palmerston North1990 Te Kōhanga Reo o

Mana Tamariki opens – 12 children

1995 Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Mana Tamariki opens

Two parents speak only Māori language or

One parent one language

Palmerston North:Population: 85,000Māori: 12%

Shift in PoliciesMana Tamariki

1980-1994

Education is main focus of Māori language revitalisation. Mana Tamariki followed

1995 Expand to family, neighbourhood and community

Must have family intergenerational transmission to be able to enrol

Māori language speaking parents and children speak only Māori to each other at all

times everywhere

Generation 1

Generation 2

Generation 3

Intergeneration Transmission over 3 generations is the goal. Identify who will speak which language to whom. Be pure with the language and not mix.

Māori

Māori

Māori Māori

Māori

English

Māori

Māori Māori

English

Mana Tamariki:1990 Only two families speaking only Māori to their children in the whole city

2012 We have 50 families with 85 children enrolled, 150 highly fluent speakers engage with each other with high proficiency

Challenges:The Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori are always seeking highly proficient competent quality teachers

Families need access to support

Teenagers (!) present commitment issues

Te Reo Mauri Ora:Report of the Independent Review Panel on Māori Language Strategy

“Stage 6 family, neighbourhood and community must be priority”

Better collaboration and co-ordination

Dialects and General Māori language