Learning from the Moa: The Challenge of Māori Language Revitalization in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. They probably originated in Taiwan but, most recently, reached New Zealand (in ocean-going canoes) about 1,300 years ago. Pākehā (white settlers) started arriving in the 1820s and, in 1840 the British crown signed a Treaty wherein they made solemn promises to Maori. Promises were quickly forgotten so, by the middle of the twentieth century, Māori language was heading into extinction. In the 1970s, well-educated Māori launched a cultural and language revitalization movement. Regarding learning in informal settings, the author praises the Māori Language Commission and activists like Dun Mihaka. Regarding nonformal settings, the author analyzes Māori broadcasting and Te Ataarangi, a language revitalization nongovernmental organization. Regarding formal settings, the author charts the progress of kohanga reo (full-immersion kindergarten), kura kaupapa (full-immersion schools), universities and wananga (Māori universities). By 2014, many Pākehā and upper-class Māori were interested in learning the indigenous language. But, because of Māori poverty, tub-thumping as a substitute for theory and a lack of cooperation by parents, not far along the road ahead more Pākehā than Māori might be speaking the indigenous language.