Ka ngaro te reo, ka ngaro taua, pera i te ngaro o te Moa
If the language be lost, man will be lost, as dead as the moa
There is a great body of Maori history, poetry and song that depends upon the language. If the language dies all of that will die and the culture of hundreds and hundreds of years will ultimately fade into oblivion. It was argued before us that if it is worthwhile to save the Chatham Islands robin, the kakapo parrot or the notornis of Fiordland, is it not at least as worthwhile to save the Maori language?
Wai 11, the te reo Maori claim, was brought by Huirangi Waikerepuru and Nga Kaiwhakapumau i te Reo and concerned the official recognition of the Maori language. The claimants alleged that the Crown had failed to protect the language as required by article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and proposed that it be made official for all purposes, enabling its use as of right in Parliament, the courts, Government departments, local authorities, and public bodies.
the claim was simple; its ramifications are not. To do justice to it we have looked at the past, we have looked at the present situation and we have tried to see what lies ahead in the future.
The Waitangi Tribunal
The frustrations of being a Maori language teacher are just the same as those of being a Maori in New Zealand society. The frustrations of being a Maori language teacher are essentially summed up in the feeling that the education system has invited you to be a mourner at the tangihanga of your culture, your language, and yourself …
Maika Marks
Some New Zealanders may say that the loss of Maori language is unimportant. The claimants have in reply reminded us that the Maori culture is a part of the heritage of New Zealand and that the Maori language is at the heart of that culture. If the language dies the culture will die, and something quite unique will have been lost to the world.
The Waitangi Tribunal
The Tribunal constituted to hear the claim was comprised of Eddie Durie (presiding), Sir Graham Latimer, and Paul Temm QC. Hearings were held in June, October, and November of 1985, and the Tribunal presented its report to the Minister of Maori Affairs and the claimants on 29 April 1986.
an understanding of Maori language and culture was necessary not only to develop the full personal development of Maori children but also to assist the Pakeha to fully appreciate the history, achievements and character of Maori society.
The Waitangi Tribunal
The Tribunal recommended that:
- legislation be introduced enabling any person who wishes to do so to use the Maori language in all courts of law and in any dealings with Government departments, local authorities and other public bodies;
- a supervising body be established by statute to supervise and foster the use of the Maori language;
- an inquiry be instituted into the way Maori children are educated to ensure that all children who wish to learn Maori be able to do so from an early age and with financial support from the State;
- broadcasting policy be formulated in regard to the obligation of the Crown to recognise and protect the Maori language;
- and amendments be made to make provision for bilinguism in Maori and in English as a prerequisite for any positions of employment deemed necessary by the State Services Commission.
The Tribunal did not recommend that te reo Maori be a compulsory subject in schools, nor that all official documents be published in both English and Maori at that time, ‘for we think it more profitable to promote the language than to impose it’.
When the question for decision is whether te reo Maori is a ‘taonga’ which the Crown is obliged to recognise we conclude that there can be only one answer. It is plain that the language is an essential part of the culture and must be regarded as ‘a valued possession’. The claim itself illustrates that fact, and the wide representation from all corners of Maoridom in support of it underlines and emphasises the point. …
We question whether the principles and broad objectives of the Treaty can ever be achieved if there is not a recognised place for the language of one of the partners to the Treaty. In the Maori perspective the place of the language in the life of the nation is indicative of the place of the people.
The Waitangi Tribunal
In 1987, te reo Maori was made an official language of New Zealand and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori (the Maori Language Commission) was established to promote the language.
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