Summary and conclusion

The purpose of this report is to assess the health of the Māori language in Te Tairāwhiti and Tākitimu. A variety of research has been drawn upon to provide a composite picture of the Māori language in these regions; including Census data, HML survey data, education statistics, observations from national research, and information from language planners and community representatives working in Te Tairāwhiti and Tākitimu. This section of the report summarises the key findings.

Māori language knowledge and proficiency

• The two measurements (Census and HML 2006 Survey) provide a Māori language rate for Māori adults that ranges from 10% through to 30%, with the lower end perhaps a more accurate indicator of strong proficiency.
• There are significant differences in the proportion of Māori language speakers across age groups. For those people aged up to fifty-five, the Māori speaking rate is 24%, whereas for those people aged fifty-five or over, the rate is 43%. Yet the population of Māori speakers aged over fifty-five is small compared to the population in younger age bands. Older speakers are also more proficient in the Māori language than young adult speakers.
• Since 2001 there have been marginal shifts in Māori language proficiency levels within the Māori population. In these regions, passive skills (listening and reading) are stronger in terms of numbers of people and proficiency levels, than active skills (speaking and writing). This indicates a level of latent Māori language ability. To increase speaking proficiency levels in these regions, these passive skills will need to be ignited.
• Sixty-eight percent of Māori adults are dissatisfied with their level of proficiency in the Māori language and desire to increase their language skill levels.

These findings suggest that with the inevitable passing of kaumātua who are highly proficient in their tribal dialects, it will be important to capture and archive authentic exemplars of these tribal dialects over the next five years, to create a permanent record for future generations. The collection of lexicon that has already begun with kuia and kaumātua of Ngāti Kahungunu could provide guidance for other iwi who wish to undertake similar research.

There are generally positive attitudes towards the Māori language among the people of Te Tairāwhiti/Tākitimu together with relatively high levels of passive Māori language skills (for example, nearly 50% of people can understand Māori ‘fairly well’ or better). This indicates a latent pool of Māori language ability that could be unlocked.

The challenge for language planners is twofold; it is necessary to raise the critical awareness among whānau about their role in Māori language revitalisation, and strategies they can use to support this; and it is necessary to create opportunities for whānau to practice and use their Māori language skills in ‘safe’ situations. Several iwi have indicated that the Kāinga Kōrerorero programme is yielding positive results in this regard.