Maori as a core subject

every other prime minister, has taken the time to try to master the language, a difficult task. That sets a fine example from the top.

The problems, however, are obvious. Every time the idea has been raised there has been backlash. This time the uproar seems more muted, perhaps because the idea comes from an opposition party and can’t be put into action any time soon.

Also, Maori has become a part of everyday life in New Zealand and is perhaps less threatening. The singing of the national anthem in Maori, for instance, is now routine.

However, the political reality is that some parents won’t want their kids learning te reo and they will have to be placated.

But more important is the shortage of qualified teachers of te reo. Making it compulsory up to year 10 would require a huge boost in resources. Training up a new, larger workforce would be expensive, and it would take time. That means ‘‘compulsory’’ Maori would have to be phased in.

The Greens argue that making Maori a core subject is needed to help save the language. In fact, there is no guarantee it would. Evidence suggests that reversing the decline of minority languages is terribly difficult.

This is partly because it demands such commitment from parents. It is in the home that languages are reproduced and kept alive, but the decline of minority languages means that many parents are no longer fluent and cannot pass on their language in the effortless way native speakers can.

The result is that only a minority of parents, mostly the fiercely committed, will make the effort. This is true of Maori as of Welsh and other threatened languages. The decline of the kohanga reo is part of this brutal reality.

Making te reo a school subject cannot replace the natural reproduction of the language in the homes of native speakers.

Governments do what they can, however, to fight language decline. Maori in schools could be part of that honourable campaign.