Effective August 26, a new Labour policy mandates that student teachers in New Zealand must demonstrate basic competency in reo-a-waha (Maori language) enunciation and pronunciation in order to graduate. Maori was made an official language in New Zealand 15 years ago, and one in four children in New Zealand are Maori, according to an article published in the New Zealand Herald.
Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia told the New Zealand Herald that teachers should set an example for their students. "Maori is an official language of this country but many people don't make an effort to pronounce Maori correctly," Horomia said. "Teachers teach our kids a lot of things, from Shakespeare to poetry—what is the difference in teaching how to pronounce people's names and Maori correctly?"
The new policy is not without controversy, however. While National Maori affairs spokesman Gerry Brownlee called the measure "politically correct tokenism," according to the Herald, others, like Dr. John Langley of the University of Auckland, believe that all children should be taught Maori language in schools, and that the newly adopted proposal would be the first step towards achieving that.
