te reo Māori

Te reo Māori, the Indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand Māori, suffered great marginalisation due to British colonisation, the effects of which are still experienced today. We interpreted national probability data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study and constructed two models. Participants rated how strongly they supported teaching Māori language in New Zealand primary schools, from 1 (strongly oppose) to 7 (strongly support). Model 1 assessed how demographics related to support in 2015 (N = 15,821).

Due to processes of colonisation, te reo Māori is currently identified as being in a state of endangerment (Reedy et al., 2011), which heightens the need for positive Māori language education outcomes. At a national level, reo Māori educators have begun incorporating technology into language classrooms to increase student engagement with the language (Heavey, 2014; McKenzie, 2014). This research evaluates a pilot study of Māori language auditory resources involving introductory to intermediate level learners of te reo Māori from Victoria University of Wellington.

A discussion about the decreasing proficiency levels of one of the official languages in New Zealand, te reo Māori, would not be complete without understanding teacher trainees’ attitudes and motivations towards taking an optional Māori language course. This is because teacher trainees can provide significant opportunities within the classroom to promote learning of te reo and understanding their perspectives on learning the language to inform future revitalisation efforts.

He aha te reo Māori i ngaro ai ki Ōtākou? He hiahia nō te hapū ki te whai i te rākau a te Pākehā. I whai rātou i te mātauranga me te whakapono o te Pākehā. Waihoki, tē taea e rātou te ao hou te karo. Ahakoa tērā, kei te pupuritia tonutia ngā tikanga o te kāinga. I uiuitia tētahi Taua o te kāinga e te kaituhi, ko Aunt Jean tōna ingoa ki te kāinga. Kei roto ia i te reanga tuatahi i tipu ki te reo Pākehā ki Ōtākou. He tino kaumātua o te kāinga, ā, i tau hoki tana tū ki tōna ao Māori. Ahakoa kāore ōna reo Māori, ehara i te mea, i te tangi ia mō te reo kei te memeha atu.