February 29, 2016
Urban Maori get say in reo bill
The chair of the Maori Affairs Select Committee says changes to the Te Reo Maori Bill have made it a far more effective vehicle for protecting the Maori language.
The Bill reported back last week leaves the Maori language commission and Maori broadcast funding agency as crown entities rather than putting them under a new iwi-driven body, Te Matawai.
Nuk Korako says it means the crown will continue to have a statutory responsibility to develop a national Maori language strategy.
"The important other change was that making Te Matawai primarily responsible for the health of the Maori language, at iwi, hapu, whanau, community level. I think adding the urban Maori sector to Te Matawai representation, was a really important and I think, a move that reflected the inclusiveness of all Maori stakeholders," Mr Korako says.
The Bill should go through its remaining stages this month.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com