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Download AudioThe head of a rōpū which supports schools teaching te reo Māori says it’s time to make the lessons compulsory.
Raewyn Harrison from Te Reo Tuatahi is backing a call from Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon for the compulsory classes to be introduced within five years.
She says adult Māori are spending a great deal of time and money to learn what they should have got at school.
“Let our 17, 18 year olds leave school at year 13 with a good grasp of basic te reo. They can go to a pōwhiri, they can understand everything that is even being said, they even know the jokes, they can laugh because they actually understand the joke,” Ms Harrison says.
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