Benefits of Māori medium education highlighted at Te Matatini

Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Kai.

Te Matatini’s aim is to take kapa haka to the world and despite the inclement weather at times, the event saw record numbers attending and local schools were given free tickets to enable students to see the performances first hand.

The event provided the launching pad for a new series of videos encouraging parents to consider the benefits of the Māori medium education for their children.

The Ministry’s Raukura/Chief Advisor Māori, Dr Wayne Ngata, said educational success is higher for tamariki that stay in the Māori medium pathway, from kōhanga to wharekura, with parents and whānau playing a significant role.

“The education system is government’s most powerful lever for the acquisition of te reo Māori and we must leverage it in order to normalise the use of te reo Māori in everyday use,” said Wayne.

“We want to see every child and young person learning through and in te reo Māori by 2025.”

The Ministry is one of a number of agencies who are keeping te reo Māori alive in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders, as well as normalising its usage on a daily basis.

“Te reo Māori is unique to Aotearoa-New Zealand and our point of difference from the rest of the world,” says Wayne.

Brandon Te Moananui, a producer with the Māori Sidesteps, who were recruited to work on the videos, said working on a kaupapa like Mōu Te Reo was for a good cause.

“As Māori, we believe in the kaupapa and saw our role as bringing to life the idea that keeping your kids in kura leads to educational success,” said Brandon.

View the Mōu te reo – Kura Been You video series(external link)

Te Iti Kahurangi.

TeachNZ scholarships to teach in te reo Māori

TeachNZ scholarships for teacher trainees(external link) to teach in te reo Māori were also promoted at Te Matatini 2019.

There are six types of scholarships available in 2019:

Māori Medium (Primary) – for people who are either proficient or fluent in te reo Māori and who wish to work as a primary teacher in bilingual or immersion classes.

Māori Medium (Primary) Career Changer – For people who are either proficient or fluent in te reo Māori and have a depth of life and work experience, who wish to change careers to work as a primary teacher in bilingual or immersion classes.

Te Reo Māori (Secondary or Wharekura) – Tipu Whakarito Te Reo Māori me Te Waka Whakarei –  for people who are either proficient or fluent in te reo Māori and who wish to work as a secondary teacher.

Career Changer (Secondary or Whare Kura) – Tipu Whakarito Te Reo Māori me Te Waka Whakarei –  for people who are either proficient or fluent in te reo Māori and have a depth of life and work experience, who wish to change careers to work as a secondary teacher.

Kupe – for high achievers of Māori and/or Pacific descent, who can see themselves becoming an outstanding role model in early childhood, primary or secondary education.

ECE Māori Language Stream – for those who are fluent speakers of te reo Māori and who want to teach in the early childhood sector.

The third and final application round opens from 6 May 2019 to 14 June 2019. 

Te reo Māori in education

The proportion of tamariki actively learning te reo Māori is increasing – in 2017, 185,000 learners were learning at least some te reo Māori in kura Māori, schools or early learning.

There are two ways of accessing te reo Māori in education:

1. Māori medium education – where learning is achieved in and through te reo Māori at least 51 percent of the time (immersion levels 1-2). Examples of this include kura Māori and rumaki (immersion units) within English medium schools.
2. Te reo Māori in English medium – where learning occurs in
   and through te reo Māori up to 50 percent of the time (immersion levels 3-5).

What we know about learning te reo Māori

The most effective way to help learners improve their language proficiency is through at least six years of high-quality language teaching. High-quality Māori medium settings embed Māori identity, culture and language into all aspects of the school. Educational success is higher for tamariki who stay in the Māori medium pathway.

We also know that for learners to be successful, iwi, whānau
and community need to be involved in their children's learning and the language of learners needs to be embedded into all learning settings.

Learn more at Mōu Te Reo(external link). 

Ngā Tumanako from West Auckland, were the overall winners of Te Matatini 2019. The essence of their performance was the importance of te reo Māori and teaching it so the language survives and endures. The group is based out of Hoani Waititi Marae with many of its performers former students of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi.