Listen Now: 
A Pakeha language researcher says the Government needs to do much more to promote wide adoption of te reo Maori.
John McCaffery, a senior lecturer in language education at the University of Auckland, is part of a group working towards an Auckland Regional Languages Strategy.
The group is challenging the Government’s draft Maori language strategy because it makes no provision for promoting or resourcing the learning of te reo Maori by non-Maori.
Mr McCaffery says the treaty partnership implies mutual support, and many non-Maori make a contribution because they want their children and grandchildren to have access to the language.
"It’s really a matter of citizenship. We are all citizens of New Zealand, and that citizenship means we need to give much more attention to te reo and get it into the civic domain … the street signs, the signs of government departments, the local authorities, the work of local bodies, and in our case in particular, we are very keen to work with Auckland City to see that Auckland reflects that bilingual, bicultural future rather than just a monolingual one," he says.
The last consultation hui on the Maori language strategy is being held in Auckland today, and submissions close at the end of the month.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JOHN McCAFFERY CLICK ON THE LINK
http://www.waateanews.com/play_podcast?podlink=MTU2MDM=
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
RELATED NEWS
