Greens: Second language support should be for universal te reo Māori

The Green Party has reiterated its commitment to universal te reo Māori in schools, following National’s education announcement yesterday.

“It’s good that National is open to Kiwi kids learning a second language and te reo Māori should be at the front of the queue. We want a more ambitious plan for te reo Māori in schools, and the Green Party will make that happen in government,” said Māori development spokesperson Marama Davidson.

“Te reo Māori is one of the official languages of Aotearoa. It is a taonga that should be treasured, valued and nourished.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure that our indigenous language survives and thrives in Aotearoa, and introducing it to all schools for all children is one of the best ways to ensure this.

“The government needs to commit to proper workforce planning and support for teachers to support in the universalisation of te reo Māori.

“No language can be taught without a plan – In 2015 National blocked a select committee enquiry into te reo Māori capacity for schools but now they’re saying they want schools to teach up to ten languages.

“The Green Party in government will ensure proper support for te reo Māori through embedding it as a universal part of the curriculum. We intend to release a roadmap on how we will achieve this later in the campaign,” said Ms Davidson.

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