Peters rebukes ministers over te reo Maori in schools
WELLINGTON: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is playing down differences between her ministers over whether to make te reo Maori compulsory in schools.
Maori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta caused a stir this week when she said it was just a matter of time before te reo was compulsory in schools.
The Government’s official policy is that te reo be universally available — but not compulsory — in all primary schools by 2025.
Ms Ardern said Ms Mahuta had been talking about future possibilities, not current Govern ment policy.
‘‘Right now, we simply do not have enough te reo teachers to even have that aspiration.’’
She insisted all her ministers were on the same page.
Associate Maori Development Minister Willie Jackson made a slipup on the same topic late last year, saying he thought the language would be compulsory in schools by 2025.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters issued a sharp rebuke towards both Ms Mahuta and Mr Jackson on Tuesday.
‘‘If they want to be in this Government, they’ll be on the same page,’’ Mr Peters told Stuff.
Mr Peters said yesterday he was just making clear the ministers’ aspirations were not Gov ernment policy.
‘‘People can be enthusiastic and they can push policies and they probably can campaign on them in 2020 — but it’s not a policy that we are campaigning on or implementing now.
‘‘They need to make sure that it’s not portrayed as present government policy.’’
Ms Ardern said she was comfortable with Mr Peters’ slapdown.
‘‘Our ministers are all very robust. We have these decent exchanges from time to time,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m not concerned by our relationships whatsoever . . . I have no concerns about those exchanges.’’
Ms Mahuta said Government ministers were not divided.
‘‘We’re absolutely agreed . . . that our education curriculum has everything to gain by ensuring we have Maori teachers who can teach the curriculum in te reo Maori,’’ she said.
‘‘That will undoubtedly make te reo Maori a language that is accessible to many New Zealanders — and I want to see that.’’