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The Ministry of Justice wants to boost the use of te reo Maori in court.
All district court sessions including those with justices of the peace and community magistrates will open and close in te reo Maori.
Karl Cummins, the deputy secretary for district courts and special jurisdictions, says staff have been trained to use new greetings.
They can use flip cards with easy to read English translations underneath Maori phrasing, and they can also listen to audio files to help with pronunciation.
He says it’s important staff feel confident making announcements in te reo Maori.
Each court has a site champion, to organise training and support.
Community magistrates and justices of the peace presided over 90,000 court events in 2015, from first appearances, list courts and hearings including traffic offences and the early parts of criminal proceedings.
Te reo Maori announcements are already part of the routine in Family Court, Youth Court, Maori Land Court, Waitangi Tribunal, Rangatahi Youth Court and Matariki Court hearings.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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