Tau Mai Te Reo (The Māori Language in Education Strategy)

Tau Mai Te Reo is a strategy to focus all early learning, schooling, and tertiary institutions on the same goal:

"Growing te reo Māori through education and growing education through te reo Māori to protect and promote the Māori language for future generations."

Boards need to be aware that te reo Māori (the Māori language) is a taonga (treasure) under Te Tiriti (the treaty) and that protecting and promoting te reo is a vital part of giving effect to Te Tiriti.

As well as schools, the groups involved include the Ministry of Education, Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, Education New Zealand, Education Review Office, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, The Teaching Council Aotearoa New Zealand, Tertiary Education Commission, and NZSBA.

Under the strategy, all learners will develop some level of Māori language skills to support our national identity.

Learners in Māori Medium education will develop very high levels of Māori language proficiency as they undertake learning through te reo Māori.

What came before?

Tauiwi (foreigners) first arrived in the 17th century.

Te reo Māori remained the primary language of both islands until the 1800s.

However, colonisation by the British Crown and systemic cultural oppression through settler government policies saw an almost complete erasure of te reo Māori by the mid-1900s.

Speaking te reo Māori was once a punishable offence in many schools.

A resurgence of te reo Māori took place in the 1970s. Before that, many Māori families were culturally alienated, and the number of active speakers continued to decline.

Māori language education initiatives such as Te Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, and Te Ataarangi were created in response.

In 1987, the Māori Language Act recognised te reo Māori as an official language.

In April 2016, Parliament passed The Māori Language Act. It is written in te reo Māori and English, with the Māori language text prevailing – a first for the New Zealand legal system.

What is Tau Mai Te Reo?

There have been Māori education strategies before, all of them with sections about te reo Māori, but this is the first time there has been a government education strategy solely about the Māori language.

To make it clear, Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia is about the education of Māori students.

Tau Mai Te Reo teaches te reo Māori to all New Zealand students.
Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia is the sister strategy to Tau Mai Te Reo.

By using a framework and set of goals, Tau Mai Te Reo aims to ensure that the Māori language is valued, appropriately considered, and prioritised in education.

What are the government's goals?

By 2040:

85% (or more) of New Zealanders will value the Māori language as a key part of national identity,
One million (or more) New Zealanders will have the ability and confidence to talk about at least basic things in Māori, and
150,000 Māori aged 15 years and over will use the Māori language at least as much as English.

What should Māori language education look like?

A highly effective Māori language programme has the following characteristics.

Provision

Māori language is provided, valued, accessible, and embedded in every subject and class.
Learners are encouraged to reach progressively higher levels of Māori language fluency/proficiency.
Learning environments are set up to inspire learners, support learning, and fully connect ICT (Information and Communications Technology).
A Māori language learning pathway is available from early childhood through to tertiary education.

Teaching

Teachers of te reo Māori have a high level of language proficiency and provide clear teaching leadership.
There is a strong focus on delivery consistent with language acquisition theory.
Data is gathered to inform decisions and direction.
Whether the Māori language teachers are school or community-based, there is a development plan to check their skills and see where they could improve.

Content

The richness of the Māori language and reo-ā-iwi (tikanga, grammar, structure, and worldview) is considered throughout the school.
Content connects to all learners' existing cultural knowledge.
Every learner's identity, language, and culture is nurtured and appreciated.

Iwi

Educators are engaged in meaningful relationships with iwi to maintain and enhance te reo-ā-iwi, iwi content, and iwi-focussed learner outcomes.
Iwi value their education partnerships as a way to influence and support uri and Māori in their rohe.
Iwi are valued as language owners and partners.
Education providers value and invest in iwi expertise to ensure the quality and authenticity of their teaching. Iwi are involved in setting the strategic priorities and planning for the school.

Responsiveness

The learning environment reacts to the needs and aspirations of learners and their parents, families, and whānau.
The learning environment also values and affirms learners' identity, language, and culture.
Powerful connections exist between whānau and education providers.
Whānau feel valued and welcomed, and are aware of the influence and importance of their contribution and support.

What is your board's role in all of this?

School boards are legally required under Section 9 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new to protect the Māori language under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

As a board member, you need to complete the following steps:

Familiarise yourself with the key actionsopen_in_new of Tau Mai Te Reo.
Check your strategic plan reflects the goals of Tau Mai Te Reo.
Ask yourself: is our school taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori?
Monitor progress towards your strategic goals for Māori Language development. Are the school's targets being met, and are its resources being used appropriately? (This also helps with future planning.)
Boards should refer to the key measures in Tau Mai Te Reo and rubric 2.3open_in_new as tools for assessing progress.
Report to the school's community about progress towards strategic goals and objectives related to Māori language development.

Boards should be aware that there is a great diversity of opinion about teaching and learning te reo Māori in the community, including the Māori community.

There is also a great diversity of te reo Māori mita/regional variations throughout the country.

This should be acknowledged by boards and considered carefully.

Questions your board could ask

What is our understanding of the purpose, goals, and actions of Tau Mai Te Reo?
Does our strategic plan reflect the goals of Tau Mai Te Reo?
Is our school taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori?
How do we monitor progress towards our strategic goals for Māori Language development?
Are the school's targets being met? The key measures in Tau Mai Te Reo and the rubric 2.3 are vital for assessing progress.
Are resources being used appropriately?
How do we report on our progress towards strategic goals and objectives related to Māori language development?

Templates, resources, and references

Click on the link(s) below to access the templates, resources, and references related to this topic.

These may download or open in a separate browser depending on your device.

Ministry of Education

Education and Training Act 2020

Section 9 – Te Tiriti o Waitangiopen_in_new