Million te reo speakers by 2040 ‘achievable’

WELLINGTON: The Government’s goal of 1 million New Zealanders speaking basic Maori by 2040 is achievable but needs the resourcing to back it up, the head of the Maori Language Commission says.

Maihi Karauna, the Crown’s draft Maori language strategy, was launched this month and along with boosting widespread te reo levels it set targets of 150,000 Maori speaking it as a primary language, and for te reo to become a key element of national identity.

At the 2013 census, 148,400 people could hold a basic conversation in te reo, 84.5% of whom identified as Maori.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed this week her baby, Neve Te Aroha, would be raised to speak te reo Maori and English.

Ms Ardern said it was important to her and partner Clarke Gayford that Neve has an understanding of Maori culture and believes speaking te reo is the first step.

Te Taura Whiti i te Reo Maori/Maori Language Commission chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui said te reo was increasingly regarded as part of the national identity.

‘‘New Zealanders, whether they are speakers or not, are increasingly celebrating te reo Maori as something that sets us apart from other similar nations.

‘‘People have pride in their bilingual passports. Nothing says ‘I am from New Zealand’ more than te reo Maori.’’

The target of 1 million New Zealanders speaking basic te reo was achievable.

‘‘Many people they find they already have a basic vocabulary. To have basic Maori language only sentence structures and common phrases need to be added.’’

A 2013 Statistics New Zealand survey found 257,500 (55%) of Maori adults were able to speak more than a few words or phrases, up from 153,500 in 2001.

Of those, 50,000 Maori could speak about almost anything, or at least many things in Maori. — NZME