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What is the state of te reo Maori in homes and communities?
What is the state of te reo Maori in homes and communities?
Researchers are gathering in Wellington today for a hui before heading out across Aotearoa New Zealand to begin an important new study of the Maori language.
The project is called ‘Te Ahu o te Reo’ and is led by Te Wahanga from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER), in a contract with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori. Twenty four researchers will work in eight areas to measure the health of te reo Maori in homes and communities.
The research builds on a seminal NZCER Maori language survey carried out in the 1970s by Richard and Nena Benton that demonstrated the perilous state of the Maori language. The new smaller scale project takes a kaupapa Maori approach and will involve some of the same communities as the original study.
The regions are:
• Ruatoki
• Te Tai Tokerau: Matawaia, Waima, Moerewa,
Kaitaia
• Taranaki
• West Auckland
• South Auckland
• Wairoa
• Christchurch
• Tauranga
They were chosen to provide a mix of high and low populations of Maori speakers, communities actively involved in language revitalisation and areas with a diverse urban Maori population.
The project aims to assess how selected households and communities are working towards re-establishing te reo Maori as a living language and a normal means of communication in daily life. This will help to identify the state of the reo in these communities, the challenges and opportunities to support reo development and any other factors relevant to helping whanau and communities achieve their aspirations for language revitalisation.
The research will explore:
• Where
and how much te reo Maori is being used.
• Who is
using it and who they are using it with.
• What te
reo Maori is being used for.
• Why it is being
used in particular situations or not.
• What
further support is needed When complete, the results will
inform funding and delivery of Maori language programmes,
to ensure the best results for the language.
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