Maori language strong in New Zealand schools

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The long-term success of any colonial adventure requires the destruction of Indigenous languages. The counter-attacks launched by Indigenous peoples throughout the world in defence of the integrity of their cultures always focuses upon the nurturing of such Indigenous languages. Educational programs offer encouragement to those who fear that their language might be terminally swamped by the global strength of English, French or Spanish.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education's recently published first ever teacher census provides interesting statistics on the health of the Maori language and the part played by Maori speaking teachers in the state educational system.

The number of Maori teachers, and the proportion of teachers who can deliver the curriculum in Maori, has increased since 1990. Maori is the most common second language spoken in schools with nearly seven per cent of teachers able to deliver the curriculum in Maori.

The census also found that eight per cent of teachers identified themselves as Maori compared to six per cent in 1990. National manager Irene Lynch of TeachNZ (the government teacher training agency) said because the number of teachers has increased since 1990, the increase in proportion of Maori teachers is more significant than it might appear. It indicates the number of Maori teachers is increasing at a faster rate than other teachers.

Lynch also said some initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Maori teachers, such as TeachNZ scholarships worth $10,000 (NZ), have only been in place since last year, so further increases in the proportion of Maori teachers can be expected.

The census discovered that six per cent of teachers were able to deliver the curriculum in Maori in a bilingual or partial immersion setting, and two per cent in a total immersion or kura kaupapa Maori setting. Modest statistics, perhaps, but a key component in the new New Zealand National Curriculum, currently in the process of implementation, is the development of Maori immersion and strategies to support educational programs for Maori.

A senior research analyst at the Ministry of Education said the census represents the first attempt to collect information on curriculum delivery in languages other than English. This information is crucial for the staffing of Maori bilingual and immersion schools and bilingual classes.

Area schools, which are to be found in rural areas of New Zealand and combine primary and secondary components of children's schooling, were found to have a considerably higher proportion of Maori teachers - 20 per cent.

This was reflected in a high concentration of Maori speakers - 22 per cent - in area schools, compared to 10 per cent in urban primary schools and five per cent in urban secondary schools.

The proportion of Maori in the current teacher workforce is expected to be boosted over the next few years by students coming out of teacher training. Maori make up a higher proportion of teacher trainees in primary and secondary programs than they do in the current teacher

workforce.

Maori was only legally recognized as New Zealand's other language as recently as 1985.