August 02, 2022
Taura Whiri landmark shows reo revival working
Māori Language Commissioner Rawinia Higgins says te reo has come a long way since the commission was established 35 years ago.
She says Māoridom owes a huge debt to kaumatua and kuia whose knowledge seeded the revival of te reo.
From nearly being lost 40 years ago, new statistics show nearly one in four Māori now speak te reo as their first language.
“That’s a real acknowledgement of the hard work of those kaumatua and initially in our pakeke but also to create that new generation of Māori language speakers as first language speakers, that is a true testament to the collective effort everyone has put into te reo,” Professor Higgins says.
She acknowledged the work of groups like Nga Tama Toa, Victoria University’s Te Reo Māori Society, and Te Huinga Rangatahi – who petitioned parliament in 1972 for active recognition of te reo Māori.