September 07, 2023
Compulsory te reo off the table under Labour
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins says a future Labour Government won’t make te reo Māori compulsory in schools, but it will strive to make it universally available.
During the current term the Government has developed a number of initiatives, including creating training opportunities for teachers so they are more comfortable about using Māori in the classroom.
Mr Hipkins says all kids should be able to learn the foundations of te reo Māori.
“I’m really proud of the fact that in primary schools kids are learning their colours in te reo Māori they’re learning their numbers, and the alphabet in te reo Māori. That’s exciting, I’m really supportive of that. And we’re really focused on expanding the amount of immersion language provision that’s available in te reo Māori,” he says.