Te Reo - Maori language may still face extinction

Scotty Morrison

And

Nathan Albury Opinion: New Zealand needs to rethink its language policy to make te reo Maori a more equal partner of English, writes Nathan Albury.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week) reminds us of the special place our reo holds, and to consider what challenges we still face in securing its future.

There is no doubt the work of our Maori communities, especially Maori- medium education with backing from successive governments, has been a linguistic achievement.

Next to Hebrew and Irish, the linguistic U-turn te reo has taken, is internationally impressive.

But there is no room for complacency.

Our reo is still endangered and this year we anticipate the release of the next Maori language strategy.

This follows the Government's promise of an extra $8 million for a new Maori Language Research and Development Fund, increased funding for te reo, and the reallocation of Teach NZ scholarships to boost the number and quality of te reo-competent educators.

It's a busy year for language policymakers, but who exactly should language policy be targeting? Should revitalisation of te reo focus solely on Maori communities, or should all New Zealanders participate?

Surprisingly, our laws and policies are unclear on this point. Legislation makes te reo an official language on par with English.

The Maori Language Commission prioritises naturalising te reo and upholds that all New Zealanders should have the opportunity to become bilingual.

Maori Language Week itself hopes to foster a New Zealand-wide commitment to the language.

However, actual policy implementation has focused explicitly on Maori communities, often under the guise of community development.

For example, the Maori Language Commission explains that te reo "underpins Maori cultural development which in turn, supports Maori social identity and culture" and the role of non- Maori under the current Maori language strategy is simply to show goodwill.

With that vision, building the pool of speakers of Maori will always be limited. Nonetheless, it seems this exclusivity will continue: Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples explained earlier this year that revitalising te reo is paramount in efforts to promote Maori development.

Is it right that revitalisation policy not include work to foster te reo proficiency among non-Maori? If we are to embrace the union of Maori and non- Maori cultures, it surely seems a disservice to the Maori cause not to demand a greater commitment from wider New Zealand.

This is not in the least because without positive and inclusive interventions, te reo may still face extinction because the Maori population has become a minority on its own whenua.

So, it seems only logical that all New Zealanders be subject to language policy, but this has not yet happened.

Public service agencies still do not require te reo skills as a standard condition of employment. The language test for migrants ignores te reo as an official language of this country.

Only English remains a compulsory language in schools, leaving te reo - an equally official language - to linger on the side.

Our language laws and policies are unbalanced, undermine te reo's revitalisation, and assume te reo is only a matter for Maori.

This is understandable, because our politicians and policymakers discuss an inextricable link between te reo and Maori identity as the impetus for language policy.

Language can indeed be an important precursor to identity - this is a sociolinguistic fact - but it need not be.

Despite the Maori cultural renaissance and a growth in people who identify as Maori, proficiency in te reo is not increasing.

The simple fact is that Maori ethnic identity is less reliant on te reo because Maori identity is now expressed through a much broader range of avenues than ever before.

The age-old assumption that Maori need te reo in order to identity as Maori needs revisiting and the revitalisation of te reo must be seen as a responsibility of all New Zealanders.

This can be achieved by being brave and rethinking our language policy.

We need to update what we know about the value te reo holds among Maori, and pursue more balanced and fairer language laws and policies.

This will not only better support te reo, but above all better reflect our culturally rich contemporary Aotearoa.

This, I hope, is something the Maori language strategy 2013 will help us achieve.

Nathan Albury is a linguist with an interest in language policy.