Around 16.5% of New Zealand's population is Māori, but the Māori language (te reo Māori) is classified as endangered. Only around 50,000 people speak the language well with around 186,000 speaking some of the language.
While the language isn't one of the most endangered in the world, it's still classified by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger as "Vulnerable", which puts it in the "Endangered" category, albeit the least at risk of such classifications.
Regardless, the Māori language is an important one, especially in New Zealand and there have been many efforts to promote it. Whether a language lives or dies depends on its continued use so future generations are an essential part of keeping the Māori language alive.
In this article, we'll be looking at why children should learn te reo Māori and the best ways for them to do it.
Reasons for Children to Learn te reo Māori
The reason children should learn te reo Māori is to keep the language alive, but this is more for the language than the individual so here are some reasons your child should learn Māori.
Cultural Heritage
Language and culture are inseparable and they influence one another. For Māori children or any child with Māori heritage, the language is a way for them to connect with their roots.
A lot of Māori history, customs, and traditions are embedded in the language, too, and you can gain a much better understanding of all of these simply by speaking the language.
Cultural Identity
Speaking the language is a much better way to feel more connected to their own cultural identity. Children can better understand themselves by speaking the language of the culture they belong to.
Cultural Understanding
You don't have to be Māori to speak te reo Māori and people from anywhere in New Zealand or around the world can learn the language.
Learning any foreign language can help promote cultural understanding and learners of te reo Māori will gain a better understanding of the culture of the Māori people.
Preserving the Language
Just as we mentioned earlier, children need to learn a language to keep it alive and te reo Māori isn't on the verge of dying out, but it is classified as an endangered language.
By teaching children the language, it'll stay alive for at least another generation.
Language Skills
Naturally, learning a language will teach children language skills. By learning te reo Māori, they'll obviously learn Māori language skills, but learning any language can improve general language skills and make learners better at every single language that they speak.
Education
There are lots of educational reasons for children to learn different languages and their overall education is a great one.
Children who learn a second language tend to perform better academically and there are plenty of cognitive benefits to learning languages including reducing the risk of Alzheimer's in later life.
Career Opportunities
A child that learns a second language will be more employable when they grow up. Since New Zealand is promoting te reo Māori, there's an increased demand for speakers of the language, especially those who speak it as well as other languages.
Beyond that, many employers prefer candidates who are bilingual or have language skills regardless of whether their other languages are used in their everyday jobs.
This is because multilingual applicants tend to be more culturally understanding, better problem solvers, excellent communicators, and come with a whole heap of other benefits from learning languages.
Teach them Basic Phrases
The first way to introduce your child to te reo Māori is through some basic words and phrases. After all, this is how every human learns their first language so there's no obvious reason why it should be any different for subsequent languages.
You can find plenty of basic te reo Māori phrases and expressions online, but if you already speak te reo then just speaking to your child in the language will help them start to pick up coming phrases like greetings and basic instructions.
It's a good idea to also choose common vocabulary that they'll need or use every day. While there are terms that are more important than others, start with vocabulary that they'll be interested in and then it's easier to encourage them to use their new vocabulary.
Whether it's the words for food, their favourite toys, or even the TV shows they like to watch, make sure you can find ways to connect the vocabulary to the things that they're interested in.
Māori Schooling and Education
In New Zealand, there are several educational options for children to learn te reo Māori. Whether it's through schooling, clubs and associations outside of school, or cultural centres and activities, there are quite a few options to ensure that they end up learning the language.
Kohanga Reo
Very young children can start their education in te reo Māori at a Kohanga Reo. The term literally means a language nest and is a place where children can learn the Māori and about Māori culture and heritage.
Kohanga Reo are also involved in the local community and promote the Māori language and culture across the broader local area.
Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language schools that provide education fully in the Māori language.
They exist to promote Māori culture and history, too, often by encouraging parents and family members to be involved in the academic and cultural education of the students.
These schools also offer English as a second language.
Wharekura
Wharekura are the secondary school equivalent to Kura Kaupapa Māori and also provide an education to students in the Māori language while also promoting Māori culture and heritage.
The Wharekura often follow the Te Aho Matua curriculum framework, which is a Māori curriculum based on specifically Māori perspectives and worldviews.
Much like Māori primary schools, the secondary schools also offer English as a second language while aiming to teach students how to live and work in both Māori and non-Māori cultures and societies.
Naturally, the teaching at the Wharekura follows on from the education that students receive at the Kura Kaupapa Māori and children who attend the latter can seamlessly progress to the former.
Māori Media
In the modern age, there are so many ways to learn a language and this is also true for the Māori language, which is also enjoying the benefits of information age in its revitalisation.
Young learners can enjoy many different types of educational media that promote the Māori language and culture.
TV and Cinema
You can find quite a few films and TV shows that have been dubbed into the Māori language. For many years, there was a very limited amount of shows and content that was produced natively in te reo Māori, but with revitalisation efforts, this number is increasing.
Children can sit and watch their favourite shows and movies or discover new ones while improving their Māori language skills.
Books
Books and stories also offer an amazing gateway to discovering and learning languages. Much like with visual media, there's native Māori literature as well as the Māori translations of the world's most popular books and stories.
Of course, when it comes to stories, Māori has a long oral tradition that's passed on from generation to generation through performance, song, and storytelling so naturally, Māori language stories are also available outside of print.
Music and Songs
There are many benefits to learning languages through music. The repetitive and rhythmic nature of music makes lyrics easier to learn than just words.
Whether it's educational music specifically for children, songs written to teach Māori or just popular Māori music, they can all be used as useful language-learning resources.
Online Resources
Just head online and you'll see there are plenty of online resources aimed at children for learning Māori. You can find games, activities, and interactive sites with stories, videos, and songs.
If you'd rather your child not spend all their time on a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, don't forget that there are online resources that also feature printables and other resources you can use offline.
Get Help Teaching Children Māori
If you need help teaching your child Māori, don't forget that you can also look to private Māori tutors.
On the Superprof site, for example, you can search for Māori tutors where you live. From there, you can see how much they charge, what they teach, and what their other clients have to say about them.
Even if you can't find any local Māori tutors, don't forget that thanks to the internet, you can learn Māori from anywhere in the world with online tutors.
Most of the tutors on the Superprof site offer the first lesson for free so you can try a few out before choosing the one that's right for your child, what they like to learn, and how they like to learn.
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