For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023 (Māori Language Week), 1News looks back at a key moment in history that propelled the indigenous language, its celebration and its revitalisation forward.
1970 was a very different year from 2023 for many reasons, but perhaps most notably for many New Zealanders, the prevalence, celebration, and recognition of te reo Māori was not what it is today.
It was then that two student organisations, Ngā Tamatoa and Victoria University's Te Reo Māori Society, banded together to present Te Petihana Reo Māori, or The Māori Language Petition.
It called for courses in Māori language and culture to be offered in all New Zealand schools.
Supported by more than 30,000 signatures, it was presented to Parliament by Hana Te Hemara (Jackson) of Ngā Tamatoa on September 14, 1972.
The petition did not achieve all it set out to do, but the Government would go on to introduce optional te reo Māori in primary and secondary schools, along with a one-year training course for fluent speakers to address the shortfall in qualified teachers.
Later, in 1974, the Rowling government introduced amendments to the Māori Affairs Act from 1953, recognising te reo Māori as an official language of New Zealand, which Parliament would go on to pass.
The history of te reo Māori
The petition marked a huge accomplishment for Māori, recognising te reo Māori as an official language of New Zealand.
Indeed, it had been the predominant language spoken in Aotearoa New Zealand until the mid-1800s — a little over 100 years prior to the petition.
As more Pākehā arrived, Māori adapted te reo to respond to the growing number of English speakers. The Crown began emphasising the use of English as more immigrants arrived, introducing the Native Schools Act in 1867. This required English to be the only language written or spoken in native schools, resulting in Māori children being actively discouraged from learning their own reo.
Verbal and physical punishments were common for children who spoke te reo in these schools. This, along with New Zealand's increasing Westernisation in the 1900s, led to the language being portrayed as inhibiting Māori success.
By 1953, 26% of Māori children could speak te reo — a 64% decline within 40 years.
Intergenerational experiences of punishment for speaking the reo would also contribute to the language being more discouraged at home, and English became the main language of New Zealand.
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