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While 2006 Census data provides an overall picture of the number of Māori language speakers, and their characteristics, the HML 2006 Survey complements this by looking at Māori language proficiency levels in the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, together with a derived overall proficiency rating. Of the Māori adult population, approximately 13,700 have an overall proficiency level in the Māori language ranging from medium to very high.4
Source: HML 2006 Survey
When proficiency levels in the regions were considered by age grouping, it was found that 24% of those with high proficiency were aged fifty-five or over, even though this age group only makes up 8% of the adult Māori speaking population. This means that, on average, younger adults are not as proficient as older adults in the Māori language. Their language skills will need to be developed in order to maintain the quality of language in the regions over coming decades.
There are four types of language skills; speaking, writing, reading and listening. Speaking and writing can be described as active skills, while reading and listening can be described as passive skills.
While the skill types are connected, often language proficiency is considered only in terms of speaking proficiency. It is useful to consider the other skills, however, as passive skills (reading and listening) can often be stronger than active skills (speaking and writing). As can be seen in Figure 3, this is the case in Te Tairāwhiti/Tākitimu – where there are more people able to listen and read in the Māori language than able to speak or write in the Māori language. The HML 2006 Survey also brings these individual skills together to gauge ‘overall proficiency’ – rather than just relying on speaking or conversational abilities, which are often used as indicators of overall ability.
The finding that higher levels of passive skills exist means that there is likely to be a level of latent Māori language ability in the region – people who comprehend the Māori language but are perhaps not able to easily express themselves in the language. This may be due to childhood exposure to the language, and/or opportunities to maintain or develop passive skills through listening to Māori television and radio, which is discussed further in another section of this report. It is possible these passive skills could be ignited to increase speaking proficiency levels in the region. This is an issue for language planners to consider when looking to develop Māori language proficiency in Te Tairāwhiti/Tākitimu.
Data from the HML surveys indicates that from 2001 to 2006 there have been moderate improvements in Māori language proficiency levels within Te Tairāwhiti/Tākitimu, as set out in Tables 6 and 7.
Source: HML 2001 Survey. HML 2006 Survey.
The results indicate that since 2001 there has been:
Overall, Tables 6 and 7 show marginal shifts across all four proficiency areas. Improvements have been seen in listening and reading proficiency levels (passive language skills).
The HML 2006 Survey also looked at how satisfied people were with their levels of proficiency in the Māori language. Overall, the survey found that 68% were dissatisfied with their level of proficiency. Most of these people had low or very limited Māori language skills - only 5% of those with limited Māori language skills were satisfied with their skills. These findings point to positive attitudes towards the Māori language across the local Māori community. Amongst people who could speak ‘fairly well’, 68% were dissatisfied with this.
These findings suggest there is likely to be a sizeable pool of people wishing to improve their Māori language skills in these regions, including people with very limited skills and people with moderate skills.
Source: HML 2006 Survey.
Findings relating to satisfaction with Māori language skills accord with national research on attitudes, values and beliefs about the Māori language. This national research found most Māori (98%) believe more Māori being spoken in the home or at the marae is a good thing, and that many Māori (66%) consider learning the Māori language is a high priority for them.5
These findings indicate a positive disposition toward the Māori language within the Māori community. The challenge ahead for language planners is to continue to create opportunities for people to actively pursue their desire to improve their language skills. It is continually important to ascertain the type of language that people wish to learn, for example: conversational or formal. Another important matter to consider is iwi dialect. Anecdotal evidence suggests that those people who already have Māori language skills place increasing value on knowledge of iwi dialect.
Last modified: 3/10/2008