When I went to intermediate and secondary school I learnt French. It was the only language on offer and it was part of the compulsory curriculum in my classes at Napier Intermediate and Napier Boys’ High School.
I learnt it not because there was some idea that all/any of us might one day live and work in France or need to converse with anyone in French. It was, I presume, because France was the closest non-English speaking ally of the British empire at the time and because learning another language was an important part of a good education which, in turn, would enhance our understanding and appreciation of English.
Maori language was never offered as an option.
A hell of a lot has changed since then for most of us. But not for Don Brash.
Brash’s comments criticising the use of the Maori language on Radio New Zealand are childish and pathetic. And that’s before we get to the underlying oppressive racism.
Why should New Zealanders, Maori and Pakeha alike, be denied hearing the first language of this country spoken on our public radio network?
We need to hear a lot more of it and not just a few greetings here and there.
It is the birth right of every New Zealander to learn Te Reo and it should be placed alongside English, Maths and Science which are already compulsory to Year 10 (Form 4 to older readers).
I wish I’d had the chance to learn Te Reo at school in Napier.
Language is the cornerstone of culture and this country would be a very different place if all our kids learnt Maori alongside their times tables.
We can’t deny this to another generation of New Zealanders. Let’s get a plan in place to build national pride based on all of us knowing Te Reo.
Waiata have been taught in mainstream public schools for generations now. Simple greetings in Maori for a similar time but less commonly. While this was mainly tokenism some recognition was given to the need to share.
French was taught as a part of British based “liberal education” used to fit the nobility class to mix with their noble peers across Europe.
How the hell that got into NZ and schools is connected with sentiments held by some exposed to liberal education in England An imported anachronism justified by the suggestion it could be helpful to one if one traveled back “home’ and the “continent”.
WTF.
Maori has been displaced as a educational medium and relevant subject for Kiwis. It also has been monstrously devalued by bigoted imported class judgments along with many other value system erosions.
Kiwis should revile against local culture being displaced.
I agree with your last 4 lines.
But to emphasise your argument you have done the same to French. It is actually a big international language, the first language of 13 (I think) African countries. (But we don’t make money from those countries, do we?) French is actually close to Spanish in the group of global languages.
One could argue for years about how to count speakers of such languages, how many speak which as first or second language, etc. It was popular with aristocracies 100 years ago, but that no longer applies much now.
I agree with everything you said.
New Zealand is a beautiful Country , but that is not what makes it unique. It is Maori that makes NZ unique and we should cherish it and embrace it and promote it. We have no room for stupid old racist farts.
Maori language should not be compulsory subject at school, it should be opt in or opt out.
There would be very few occupations that knowing how to speak maori would be a requirement, in all the jobs Ive done over the years nobody has ever spoken a word of maori to do their job
Well in my line of work I speak Maori every day and it’s acceptable. I teach Pakeha children Maori words.
When our third official language is also taught in schools, John. That’s a language that even infants under the age of one can ‘speak’ and it is also a gateway language for learning others.
It also is inclusive of deaf people – quite a few of whom are Polynesian.
Speak up, John Minto. Make that third language freely available. We’ll be a much better country for it.
Te Reo is actually Aotearoa’s first language, then came English, then came Sign Language. You are probably trying to reference the “official” languages, which is really just a historical record of how the levels of bigotry in pakeha people has changed over the years..
For goodness sake Andrea, Minto speaks up on so many things, whilst many of us sit on the sideline. Get a petition going on change.org yourself, don’t expect Minto to do everything. This article is about the racist rant of that moron Brash who was interviewed by Kim Hill at the weekend on RNZ.
Te Reo Maori is a beautiful language accompanied by a unique, distinct and strong culture. This language is the corner stone to the culture and the thriving if Maori people. Maori are by enlarge proud of their culture and feel slighted and hurt when a member of the dominating race wishes to see it snuffed out or is upset that he doesn’t know more than three or four words in Maori, so by his standards no more than four words should ever have been spoken on all our Media waves. For Brash and his ilk, that is called entitlement. If the world isn’t catering to me, I am going to throw my toys out the cot and demand that it is. ‘How uppity of Maori to expect me to learn more than three or four Maori words.’ Racist he is. Ignorant he is. Immature he also is.
If you can speak somebody elses’ tongue you have a greater appreciation of how their minds and culture work (even subliminally). Language embeds concepts, ideas, beliefs.
On that basis alone we should all learn te reo. And in addition we need to give greater honour to the Maori culture, speak truth to the history and realities of colonisation. And as importantly we must honour our British heritage equally because the amalgam of the two cultures are the basis of what it is to be a Kiwi.
Damn. That was well said, Nick.
I took French and Latin at high school. Latin beats all other languages hands-down for fostering understanding of English. Though we studied English grammar at primary school, I didn’t really understand it until I studied Latin.
Maori language wasn’t available at my school, either, though in those days there were many native speakers. I studied it in my young adulthood, almost 50 years ago now.
Brash’s views on Maori – both the people and the language – are reactionary and very conservative. After he gave That Speech at Orewa all those years ago, I wrote to him, politely challenging his perspective. He responded, very politely, I must say. He’s certainly an intelligent man: it’s unfortunate that he clings to those beliefs still. He’s also hilariously wrong about the Moriori issue; it is really strange to hear him continuing to trot out that discredited canard.
But I don’t think it’s helpful to characterise his views as racist: they’re not. We need to stop with this thing of calling out as racist, things other people say that we dislike and disagree with. It’s an epithet, which does nothing but squelch debate. Racism is the preserve of governments. Have a look at what the Australian government is doing to NZ citizens at present: now that’s certainly racism. I’m relieved to see that you haven’t used “white” as a pejorative with which to beat him, as others have.
“Language is the cornerstone of culture and this country would be a very different place if all our kids learnt Maori alongside their times tables.”
Unfortunately, evidence from other countries tends not to support the utility of making it compulsory. Even the Irish have found that not to be a fruitful strategy long-term, and god knows, if any country had a head start in preserving and promoting its indigenous language, it’s Ireland.
For survival long-term, te reo needs native speakers. This is something which ought to concern Maori in particular, it being their heritage and culture.
It’s very difficult to get accurate stats on how many native speakers there are, or indeed if there are any left at all. If there are none left, then te reo is a dead language, just as is Latin.
I’m certainly aware that there are children in NZ who have been brought up as bilingual English/Maori: my own extended family, for instance. However, I suspect that the evidence from other countries would suggest that English will dominate those children’s lexicons, given its status as the language of public discourse here. This might not matter, were te reo not endangered. But it is; it needs those youngsters raised exclusively in te reo for the first 3 or 4 years of their lives, in order to be dragged back from the brink of linguistic extinction. Difficult, but probably not impossible, at least at present.
The way I see it is of you want to learn engineering, go to Germany.
If you want to learn law, go to France.
If you want to learn how to be a shyster. Go to the U.K
If you want to learn Māori the come to New Zealand.
Sam: “…..of you want to learn engineering, go to Germany.”
Russia for engineering, if you’re looking for a rigorous education. Law too, I suspect.
Russian Vodka 😀
Russian diplomacy for the win.
But German steel is best.
Sam: “Russian Vodka ”
You may say this. I couldn’t possibly comment. Hic…..
Nope, don’t make it compulsory, you will only feed the ones like Brash and so, to attack anything progressive or sensible, offering them arguments of nanny state.
But make it available at all schools, yes, so pupils and their parents can choose. That means, ensuring a Maori language competent teacher is available at all schools.
As for other languages, yes, make that an offer also.
The compulsion approach will not work, you count your chickens on the left side and ethnic side of the spectrum, perhaps, but the ones on the other side will hate and attack you for it even more.
As most NZers are middle class, white, or mixed race, tending to be white, Asian or whatsoever, you will have most of them opposed, and they will vote accordingly.
Do not make this a political issue, it will likely back fire, and we need even more important things dealt with, than a language one.
Having travelled widely for my OE and lived overseas like many Kiwis, I found knowing French incredibly useful – many people who don’t speak English, can speak French- it’s a sort of second lingua franca after English.
It’s also a compulsory language for many UN/international jobs. To say it has no use is very insular. Perhaps those early educators who included it on the curriculum were at pains to ensure that NZ was a confident participant on the world’s stage, rather than an ignorant little outpost with no knowledge or understanding of distant cultures.
I have no issue with people learning and speaking Maori, but if you are raising children who you want to have all the opportunities open to them around the world, French is important. In some elite universities overseas it is a requirement. Why would you limit your children’s options?
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