[bartons]

Do your kids have Maori lessons in school? If so, how much or in what form or context?
My 8-year-old learns a few words or expressions (numbers, colours, greetings, feelings, etc.) for homework every week, which is not much but will add up after a while. My 5-year-old learns some rhymes and songs, also counting.
I'm just curious how it's done in other schools in NZ.

Mareike

[Debbie]

This was one of my areas of poor research; before we moved here I had some notion of NZ being a bi-lingual country and that the kids would be taught Maori but it just isn't the case.
My kids have been told the numbers and some colours and odd phrases but they will never be bi-lingual.
Debbie

[nippa&pippa]

It is depend on teachers, how much they know it to pass on to students?

[Familyofmonkeys]

I think it also depends on the racial mix of the area. We are in area with high asian population. In daughters classs they don't teach maori (although they teach a little bit in the older classes) but they do teach counting and some common words in mandarin chinese and korean....but mainly for the benefit of the children who start speaking almost no english.

[M-Squared]

Daughter has learnt a few words here and there for a while, and in the recent Maori Language Week they started learning a bunch of stuff at school. :nice1

[Sam B]

Yeah, just a few words here and there, and the teachers seem to struggle with the pronunciation. Disappointing really.

[lockstock]

What is really surprising is that relatively few people speak Maori. After decades where it was forbidden or actively discouraged to use the Maori language it is only since the late 70s that there has been an active resurgence. There are a large number of initiatives to improve its use - starting with the very young in playgroups etc. Only a small proportion of adults actually speak Te Reo outside of the marae.

There are a few 'immersion' schools (ironically based on the Welsh model) but finding qualified staff to teach the language in schools is proving quite difficult. Nevertheless, every little bit helps so learning basic greetings, numbers, days of the week etc keeps the language alive.

The Maori tv channel has some great kids programmes on in the afternoon so you can sing along with subtitles.

[peebles16]

I was really chuffed when the boys had their birthdays and my eldest could sing happy birthday in Maori (or is it Te Reo am never sure??) So far school is songs, greetings and numbers really - I'd personally really like to learn more :yes

Karenx

[akp713]

Well in teacher training at Auckland Uni we actually have a whole course in Te Reo Maori working on integrating Maori language and culture into our curriculum area and using common phrases for classroom instruction (like hoihoi= quiet and turituri=too noisy). We learned some horrific stats about Maori education, 45% of Maori students fail to earn even level 1 NCEA for example. For this reason schools are supposed to be integrating more Maori language and culture. However there is a lot of resistance to this among
pakeha and immigrant student teachers.

[tea drinker]

Hi All
Can I ask what 'Te Reo' is please?
Is it Maori or a dialect or something else?
Ta

[Ana&Steve]

If anyone is interested in learning Maori, this link might be a good start.
http://www.maorilanguage.net
I used it to practice pronunciation at first, then I went on to learn some of the most common words, half of which I've now forgotten!
I'm not sure where I originally got the link, it could have been from this forum...
Ana

[shakyle2906]

Our 6yr old learns the odd few words and expressions in school, seemed to do more when he was in kindy.

Its lovely to hear him sing the NZ national anthem in both NZ and Maori!

Sharon
xx

[ourquest]

Hi All
Can I ask what 'Te Reo' is please?
Is it Maori or a dialect or something else?
Ta
Literally means "the language" or "the voice" and so "Te Reo Maori" means the Maori language.
You will find the word "te" to be very common in Maori sentences and many placenames in NZ, like Te Puke (the hill) Te Kuiti (the narrowing) Te Awamutu (the river end) etc.
Te Reo Maori has no letter s, and when you want to say "the hills" you change "te" (the) to the plural form which is "nga", hence this also being a common sight in written Maori. eg Te iwi (the tribe) and Nga iwi (the tribes/people).
Hope this launches you on a wonderful learning journey!

[ourquest]

Only a small proportion of adults actually speak Te Reo outside of the marae.


Just to add to this, "te marae" is "the courtyard" or focal point of any Maori settlement and is considered the most "tapu" or sacred space and it is here that the iwi (tribe) welcome other iwi through a fairly formalised ritual. The house that stands next to the marae with the traditional carved edges of the roof extending right to the ground (and representing the outstretched arms of the ancestor) is known as the wharenui (big house) and is less formal and more of a general gathering area. This house is not actually called a "marae" as most of us initially think!
With the majority of place names and government department names etc being in Te Reo Maori, as well as a dedicated tv channel there is certainly every reason to learn some important words and structure. This quite apart from the fact that learning any additional language will always build your understanding and respect of another culture which in any multicultural society is often sadly lacking.
Our children's school seems to embrace the teaching of the language as well as Maori performing art, and the kids absolutely love the new learning experience.

[ourquest]

Te Reo Maori has no letter s, and when you want to say "the hills" you change "te" (the) to the plural form which is "nga", hence this also being a common sight in written Maori. eg Te iwi (the tribe) and Nga iwi (the tribes/people).


And of course "nga puke" which means "the hills"! That was supposed to be my example.

[tea drinker]

Thanks for the info, looking forward to finding out more :)