Stacey Morrison: Māori language advocate on the increase in Kiwi kids learning Te Reo Māori

There's belief not enough children are learning Te Reo to become a bilingual nation.

New data shows more than 28,000 students were taught the curriculum through Māori more than half the time last year, 71 percent up on 2000.

Māori language advocate Stacey Morrison says 250,000 kids still aren't taught anything in Te Reo - so there's work to do.

"I do think it's an 'everybody' thing, not just the teachers who are already there and fluent. One thing is valuing bilingualism, because there's a lot of benefits, and then we can go - okay, so how are we going to do that?"

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we've got the data to back up the vibes.
There really has been a huge increase in kids and
adults learning tod al Mari and learning in today al Mari.
So last year more than twenty eight thousand school kids
were taught the curriculum more than half the time in
the language, and that is up seventy one percent on
twenty five years ago. Marii Language advocate Stacy Morrison is
with us now. Stacey, Hello, Kyoder, So am I right

(00:21):
in thinking that all up? It's about sixty percent of
school kids who are learning something, even if it's just
a song.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, Well, the numbers that we're talking about, as you say,
are from twenty five years ago, so it's a big jump,
and those are kids who are in a more i
guess a bilingual unit kind of level. So the levels
go up from six to level one is when they're
in almost immersion eighty one to ninety nine percent. But
what we're talking about is the kids whore at level three,

(00:49):
which is about you know, seven to twelve hours in
a week, and then level five is just when it's
a separate subject. Level six is when they just have
a little bit. So in terms of how many kids.
I mean, they're still two hundred fifty thousand kids. They
have no Tedel Mahdi education at all, but it is
obviously there's I guess what you've really pointed out is

(01:11):
there's a biggest spike in schools that we sort of
call a English medium or mainstream school having a bilingual
unit or a really good delivery of Tede el Mahdi.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
I'm imagining that part of the problem here and why
these numbers can't get much faster is because we just
don't have enough teachers.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, yeah, that's one of the things, I guess. But
you know, you don't have to be a Maori teacher
or even a fluent Maori speaking teacher to teach a
little bit. So that's what we saw when they did
have the program Taho Tedel that was to help teachers
at every level to engage wherever they were, so it
kind of boosted their confidence to bring in a bit. So,

(01:48):
like you say, if it's just songs, anyone can do that.
You don't need a fluent Maori speaking Marti teachers to
do that. So it's about I guess how a school
can be quite creative and meet their community in terms
of where they want to be in terms of having
a little bit of their and a little bit of
culture at the school.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Stacey, if what we want to get to though, is proper,
proper bilingualism across the country. Are not these numbers aren't
high enough, are they?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
No, they're not. You're completely right, and so well as
I say, I do think it's an everybody thing, not
just the teachers who are already their influent. So one
thing is valuing bilingualism. And I love the fact that
you pointed out it's about bilingualism because there's a lot
of benefits of that, and about half the people in
the world are bilingual at least, So the benefits of

(02:38):
those transferable skills that kids get when they have got
that mental gym happening of learning across languages. First of all,
we need to value at that, and then we can go, okay,
so how are we going to do that so that
we know our kids are having an education that's really
seated in coming from this country, and then their bilingualism
and their transferable skills can go right across the education

(02:59):
and then their professional life as well. So first of
all we have to value it, and then we have
to resource it.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, Stacey, thanks very much, really appreciate your time. Mate,
look after yourself. That's Stacy Morrison, Maldi Language advocate. For
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