Sociology 3.1

Introduction + Issue: Loss of Te reo Māori__

  • 42.5% of 25 of 34yr olds can speak more than a few words or phrases of Te reo Māori

  • 61.9% of New Zealanders think tTe reo Māori should be a core subject in Primary Schools.

  • Hana Te Hemara (Ngā Tamatoa) “Often you can hear the quotation in New Zealand that we are two races but one people. I feel that we are objecting to being phased out, that Māori language has a natural heritage in this country and through the language the New Zealander as a whole will get his identity.

Viewpoint 1:

  • Ana Scotney

  • An actor

  • Ngā Tāwhaki, Ngāi Tūhoe

  • “I never thought we would be at a point where people would be discussing having te reo Māori in schools. I’m just so glad I’m a youngin at this time to witness it.”

  • Indigenous Ideology is concerned with promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous people.

  • Values: Kaitiakitanga, courage, culture

Viewpoint 2:

  • Don Brash

  • Former New Zealand national party

  • “I can’t think of anything that most New Zealanders need less than learning te reo Māori. Why would you learn a second language that has no value in New Zealand?”

  • White Supremacy Ideology - The belief that white people are inherently superior to people from all other racial and ethnic groups and are therefore rightfully dominant in any society.

  • Values: Commitment, tradition, conservation

Response 1: Te Wiki o te reo Māori

  • Te Petihana Reo Māori (signed by 30,000 people) presented by Ngā Tamatoa and the Te Reo Māori Society in parliament in 1972

  • Over 1 million people take part in Te Wiki o te reo Māori

Response 1: Reasons how/why patriotism ideology shapes the Māori language week response

Patriotism Definition: Patriotism is defined as one’s love of one’s country, feeling of unity and identity with the country, and special concern for the nation’s wellbeing and the things that make it unique.

Reasons:

  1. Patriots believe that uniting together as one country is a great way to change.

    Evidence:

    • Māori Language Week is in the third week of September every year.

  2. Patriots have a sense of responsibility for their nation’s well-being.

    Evidence:

    • 2008 the average usage of te reo Māori was 2.2 words per 1000 content words and it increased to 5.3 words per 1000 content words inducing a 145% increase.

Response 1: Māori Language Week Impacts/ Evaluation

Impact 1:

Increasing and encouraging the use of te reo Māori nationwide.

  • People who speak te reo Māori as a first language has increased from 17% in 2017 to 23% in 2021

  • 25 to 34-year-olds who can speak more than a few words increased from 26.6% to 43.4% from 2017 to 2021

Impact 2:

Not considering that Māori language week isn’t enough to learn the entire Māori language.

  • The normalisation of Māori within schools could take up to 20 years

  • It takes on average 3 months to 2 years to learn a language fluently.

Response 2: Compulsory te reo Māori in Schools

  • Te Pāti Māori party will pay primary and secondary teachers based on their competency of te reo Māori.

  • Te reo Māori will be taught up until year 10 and reo māori history

  • Te Pāti Māori will put 40 million towards early childhood to secondary teachers to improve their Māori language ability

Response 2: Reasons how/why kaitiakitanga ideology shapes the compulsory te reo māori in schools response

Kaitiakitanga definition: The guardianship and protection as it is a way of managing the environment based on a Māori world view.

Reasons:

  1. Kaitiaki feel the responsibility to uphold the hopes of their ancestors.

    • Nanaia Mahuta - “ I want people to celebrate that as a country we are unique and we’re proud we always punch above our weight - and that the language is a clear identifier of our unique personality and characteristics.”

  2. Kaitiaki believe that all people are guardians of taonga

    • Te Pāti Māori policy: ‘Ensure that sets them on the pathway to achieve their dreams, regardless of where they go to school.’

    • te reo Māori and māori history were core subjects up until year 10

Response 2: Compulsory reo Māori in schools Impacts and evaluation

  1. Students are taught reo Māori from a young age which will enforce the language into their brains as well as encourage them to grow their learning capabilities

    Evidence:

    • NZ Ministry of Education: “Students who develop equivalent skills in more than one language tend to be more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who don’t".”

  2. Providing a unified approach to revitalising the language of our indigenous people.

    Evidence:

    • Meng Fu: “ It is all about building a socially cohesive country where everyone is on the same page and unified in our approach to indigenous culture .”

    • Teanau Tuiono:” Language is at the core of identity for all people. It provides a connection between people, their families, their land, and their culture.”

Evaluating in conclusion:

  • Requiring all primary schools to incorporate Te reo Māori 25% into their curriculum by 2026 and 50% by 2030.

  • Te wiki o te reo Māori provided the necessary bones for an education movement to be formed to instil within future generations.