Listen Now: 
August 14, 2025
Potaka Defends Te Reo Māori in Schoolbooks Amid Phonics Controversy
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On August 14, 2025
Download AudioMāori Development Minister Tama Potaka says te reo Māori is a fundamental part of New Zealand’s identity.
His comments follow the near-total removal of kupu Māori from new editions of books used to teach five-year-olds to read.
In a report from October last year, Education Minister Erica Stanford proposed replacing all Ready to Read Phonics Plus books that included kupu Māori. She later decided to rewrite 27 of the 70 books, keeping only Māori character names.
Potaka says he understands the minister’s decision, and notes that for the first time, Kura Kaupapa now have access to te reo Māori phonics resources.
“I think Dale, you and I both know, about two thirds of the entire world are multilingual, and we certainly don’t live in a monolingual country. And again, I encourage te reo Māori to be included in all books,” says Potaka.
RELATED NEWS
