New Zealanders may be taking an interest in learning reo but the system seems hell-bent on making it difficult

This year I am studying a full immersion te reo Māori course at the renowned Te Wānanga o Takiura. Like many other Māori, I’ve spent my adult years using my own time, money, energy, and resources in an attempt to learn the language of my ancestors. A language that was stolen from my whānau because Te Tiriti of Waitangi was not honoured. So here I am, out of complete desperation, trying to reclaim and hopefully become fluent in te reo Māori.

At a glance, it seems New Zealanders are taking an interest in learning reo. The number of teenagers studying te reo Māori at secondary school has passed 30,000 for the first time. Māori Made Easy, a language study book by Scotty Morrison, has become a staple in every household. There are waiting lists across the country to get into part-time te reo classes. If this is the case, why won’t the Labour government commit to making te reo Māori compulsory in schools?

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Source: The Guardian