April 08, 2015
Committee tussles with minister over reo advice
The Maori Affairs select committee has given the ministerial advisory group on the Te Reo Maori Bill a comprehensive list of things it should consider on top of the minister’s terms of reference.
There is disquiet among the committee about the process adopted by Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell.
It has already got the minister to concede that the group needs to report back to it.
The list includes the need to clarify the responsibilities of the new body Te Matawai, which is supposed to oversee the Maori Language Commission and other agencies with a stake in the maintenance of te reo Maori.
The committee also passed over the submissions and advice it has received so far.
Mr Flavell says he’s happy with how his advisory group is getting along.
"What they’ve done is they've taken the whole model apart and are looking at what the consequences might be about where the crown sits versus that of the iwi. They had various speakers come in to talk to them about various models that might be best able to achieve the whole question about relationships, between the crown and Maori. Don't just leave everything in the hands of Maori to protect the language" he says.
Te Ururoa Flavell expects the advisory group to report back before the middle of the year.
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