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Tamaki Makaurau MP Peeni Henare says support by Labour leader Andrew Little for te reo Maori to be a compulsory subject in primary schools is a sign of the influence the party’s Maori caucus is having.
Mr Henare says the strength of the Maori vote needs to be backed by policies that deliver.
He says learning more than one language will help all children to develop language and comprehension skills.
"We’re really thankful he supports that and of course the rest of thecparty does and it one of those steps I think we can do as a nation because already we see the words being used in our society more. Words like whanau, mahi, kaupapa, the more it is used, the better it is for our reo Maori," Mr Henare says.
He says protecting and enhancing the Maori language needs to be a responsibility for all New Zealanders, not just Maori.
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