History of Maori language

Decline and revival

At the beginning of the 19th century it was the predominant language spoken in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

As more English speakers arrived in New Zealand, the Māori language was increasingly confined to Māori communities.

In the early 21st century, over 130,000 people of Māori ethnicity could speak and understand te reo, one of the three official languages of New Zealand (the others are English and New Zealand Sign Language).

One land, many dialects

The different village or island origins of the canoe crews from eastern Polynesian islands, whose peoples were the ancestors of modern Māori, also contributed to regional variation.

Source: Statistics New Zealand 2006 Census

Up to the 1870s, and in some cases for several decades more, it was not unusual for government officials, missionaries and other prominent Pākehā (European New Zealanders) to speak Māori.

Particularly in rural areas, the interaction between Māori and Pākehā was constant.

The Māori language was not understood as an essential expression and envelope of Māori culture, important for Māori in maintaining their pride and identity as a people.

Political meetings, such as those of the Kotahitanga parliament in the 1890s, were conducted in Māori, there were Māori newspapers and literature such as Apirana Ngata's waiata collection, Nga moteatea, published in Māori with English translations.

The language that Māori spoke was undergoing change.

The Second World War brought about momentous changes for Māori society.

One of these urban-based groups, Nga Tamatoa (The Young Warriors) petitioned Parliament to promote the language.

The kohanga reo movement, which immersed Māori pre-schoolers in the Māori language, began in 1982; the first kohanga reo opened in Lower Hutt that year.

Not everyone was keen to hear kia ora used commonly, but many people came out in support of using Māori greetings.

After the prime minister intervened in the issue, Glavish returned to her old job.

After the prime minister intervened in the issue, Glavish returned to her old job.

In that year the Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Reo Māori claim, which asserted that te reo was a taonga (a treasure) that the Crown or government was obliged to protect under the Treaty of Waitangi.

In that year the Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Reo Māori claim, which asserted that te reo was a taonga (a treasure) that the Crown or government was obliged to protect under the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Waitangi Tribunal found in favour of the claimants and recommended a number of legislative and policy remedies.

There is a resurgence of te reo, but to remain viable as a language, Māori needs a critical mass of fluent speakers of all ages, and it needs the respect and support of the wider English-speaking and multi-ethnic New Zealand community.

There is a resurgence of te reo, but to remain viable as a language, Māori needs a critical mass of fluent speakers of all ages, and it needs the respect and support of the wider English-speaking and multi-ethnic New Zealand community.