September 13, 2021
Youthful enthusiasm good sign for te reo Māori
The Māori Language Commissioner says Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is a chance to check the pulse of the language.
Professor Rawinia Higgins says she’s delighted to see increasing use of the language on the streets and in the media helping to normalise te reo as a symbol of the nation’s identity.
While there is still some push back from older, more conservative parts of society, the young are embracing the challenge.
“It’s always heartening to see young people who take up the language as very much part of their everyday lives and don’t see it as an issue, don’t politicise it, they just want to embrace te reo Māori as a way to signify their identity and also their support for the language so we are always encouraged by their initiatives,” she says.
Professor Higgins says even in lockdown, young people are also using online platforms to push te reo Māori in ways which would have not been imagined in the past.
More than 140,000 people have already registered for this year’s Māori Language Moment, which will be held at noon tomorrow.