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November 21, 2023
Te reo purge breaching public service code
Gideon Porter
Posted On November 21, 2023
The Public Service Association says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is treading on dangerous ground by arbitrarily removing te reo Māori from briefing papers before a new Government has been formed.
MFAT chief executive Chris Seed refused to be interviewed by Waatea News about his decision to change the templates for advice to ministers.
The PSA’s acing kaihautu Māori, Marcia Puru, says the Public Service Act is explicit – that all chief executives and government departments are required to recognise the aims and aspirations of Maori in general, as well as the employment requirements of Maori public sector workers.
“The Public Service Act has really given us light to ensure that they are meeting their obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and removal of anything te reo, at this early stage – prior to the government not being formed – is just dangerous and risky,” Ms Puru says.
She says the ministry risks undermining the important progress the public sector has made in supporting Te Tiriti and Te Reo – an offical language of Aotearoa.
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