The future of Indigenous languages takes centre stage in this week’s episode of Te Ao with Moana, as veteran broadcaster and journalist Moana Maniapoto travels to Ireland and Wales to explore how two Celtic nations are working to reclaim and revitalise their ancestral languages.
Tonights programme examines the striking parallels between the journeys of Te Reo Māori, Gaeilge (Irish) and Cymraeg (Welsh), highlighting both the shared experiences of colonisation and the different paths each language has taken towards recovery.
Moana also reflects with Dale on her own connection and longstanding connections with Ireland, adding a deeply personal dimension to the korero with Dale; as she explores the cultural ties that continue to resonate across Indigenous communities.
During filming, the Te Ao with Moana crew was hosted by New Zealand’s (now former) Ambassador to Ireland, Trevor Mallard.
The programme explores how both Irish and Welsh slanguage revitalisation, with the use of native languages discouraged or actively punished in schools and public life. Yet despite sharing similar histories, their modern revival stories have unfolded very differently.
Wales is widely regarded as one of the world’s great language revitalisation success stories. More than half a million people now use Welsh every day, supported by strong community movements, Welsh-medium education and legislation that protects the language in public life.
Rather than relying solely on government policy, much of Wales’ success has been driven by parents, schools and communities demanding that the language remain a living part of everyday life.
Ireland’s experience has been more complex.
Although Irish enjoys official language status and strong legislative support, daily use remains largely confined to rural Gaeltacht communities, with around 70,000 regular speakers. Historians point to the devastating impact of the Great Famine, which disproportionately affected Irish-speaking communities, dramatically reducing the language’s natural heartland.
Following independence, efforts to revive Irish centred heavily on compulsory education and public service requirements. While well intentioned, many believe that approach created resistance among generations of students who came to see the language as an obligation rather than a living part of their identity.
For Māori, the stories offer valuable lessons about language revitalisation.
The programme considers how community leadership, whānau participation, immersion education and normalising Indigenous languages in everyday life may ultimately prove more powerful than legislation alone.
As Te Reo Māori continues its own revitalisation journey through kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, Māori broadcasting and community initiatives, the experiences of Ireland and Wales provide both inspiration and important reminders that language recovery is measured not simply by policy, but by whether people choose to speak their language every day.
The episode reinforces that language is far more than a means of communication. It carries whakapapa, identity, culture and belonging, making its survival central to the future of Indigenous peoples around the world. Tune into the show tonight.
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