An Official Information Act (OIA) request, sent to schools by the Taxpayers’ Union, about the time and resources spent teaching te reo Maori and tikanga has landed on school principals at a particularly awkward time.

“This is an incredibly busy time for schools with exams looming. staffing appointments in a particularly tight job market and end of year awards and planning for the start of 2025 in full progress,” says Kate Gainsford, Chair of the Secondary Principals’ Council.

“Principals and staff have loads of work to get through in the time left before the start of 2025 and gathering information for a tiny lobby group appears to be pretty wasteful of government resources.”

Kate Gainsford said many principals were disappointed to receive such a request in this day and age. “Te Reo Māori is an official language in Aotearoa New Zealand and tikanga is a very significant part of ensuring that schools are welcoming, comfortable places for ākonga Māori and their whānau, and all young people growing up in New Zealand.

“Schools have worked hard over many years to meet Te Tiriti partnership responsibilities so that all students can be given the opportunity to learn te reo Māori and tikanga – it is part and parcel of being a good Te Tiriti partner.

“The OIA request asks schools to set aside their usual work so they can do research for the lobby group but provides no clarification about their motivation or what they are seeking to shed light on for what public good.”

Below: OIA request from Taxpayers’ Union

Dear Principal/Board of Trustees,

Under the Official Information Act 1982, I am requesting information regarding the implementation of Te Reo Māori and Tikanga in your school's curriculum. I seek details on whether Māori language instruction and Tikanga have been made compulsory and the extent to which the Ministry of Education has provided guidance, communication, or suggestions regarding their inclusion in your curriculum during this timeframe. Please provide the following information:

1. During the period from 2022 to 2024, has Te Reo Māori been a compulsory subject for students at your school (either in full or part of the curriculum)?

• If so, please provide details (number of hours/week, how many terms, etc).
• If not, have there been discussions or plans within this timeframe to make Te Reo Māori compulsory? Which year levels, if any, have had mandatory Te Reo Māori instruction during this period?
• Similarly, has Tikanga been a compulsory component of your school’s curriculum? If so, please specify the extent and year levels involved. If not, are there plans or discussions to incorporate Tikanga as a mandatory subject?

2. Has your school received any direct communication from the Ministry of Education, (including ERO), between January 2022 and September 2024 regarding:

• the implementation of Te Reo Māori or Tikanga instruction; or
• the implications of the Treaty of Waitangi in the school deciding whether to offer (or require) Te Reo Māori teaching. If so, please provide copies of those communications.

3. Has your school received funding, training, or resources related to the promotion of Te Reo Māori and Tikanga instruction, either from the Ministry of Education or other government agencies, from 2022 to 2024? If so please provide details.

We do not wish to cause unnecessary expense or burden for your agency. Should clarification be required, please contact me via email or phone. If this request proves unnecessarily burdensome in its current form, we are open to adjusting it to be more specific or better suited to your information systems while retaining the benefit of the information sought. If there is likely to be a delay in assembling or providing some of the requested information, please provide the balance as it becomes available. Where possible, we request that any data be provided in Excel format rather than PDF.

Please specify where relevant whether costs are inclusive or exclusive of GST.

To avoid unnecessary printing and postage costs, we kindly ask that you send all correspondence, including confirmation of receipt, responses, and any other communications related to this request, via email to phoenix@taxpayers.org.nz.

Thank you very much,

Kind regards,

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