Māori Language Commission says funding cuts raise questions about Govt’s commitment to te reo

Minister of Education Erica Stanford says a review of the programme found it was not delivering as expected.
The Māori Language Commission says it is “deeply concerned” about funding cuts to a programme that helps school teachers learn te reo Māori, saying it raises “significant questions” about the Government’s commitment to revitalising the language.
But the Education Minister who made the cuts, Erica Stanford, says “tough decisions” needed to be made to address the country’s “maths crisis” and that particular te reo course was not delivering the expected results.
On Thursday, Stanford announced $30 million in funding would be moved from the Te Ahu o te Reo Māori programme to national mathematics initiatives for students in years 0-8.
Stanford said around 26,000 teachers have been through the course.
Professor Rawinia Higgins, board chair of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – the Māori Language Commission, said the programme was dedicated to supporting the revitalisation and teaching of the Māori language.
The Government has a goal of one million people being able to speak te reo by 2040 as part of wider language revitalisation efforts.
Higgins said the commission, which is a Crown entity, was “deeply concerned” by the funding cut.
“After last week’s national outpouring of support for te reo during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, the announcement lands even harder.”
The decision to redirect funds towards mathematics education raised significant questions about the country’s commitment to supporting te reo Māori, she said.
“If we are going to revitalise te reo Māori, we need the infrastructure to do it.
“Throughout the world, indigenous language movements are showing that language provision and acquisition are integral threads in the tapestry of language revitalisation. That is exactly the case in Aotearoa.
“It’s great that people want to learn but if there is nowhere for them to do that, and no one trained to teach them – te reo has no future in its own country. We can’t go anywhere else to learn it.”
Higgins called for a balanced approach to education funding that valued both language and numeracy as complementary – not competing – priorities.
“It is essential to foster an ‘and, and’ situation, where both Māori language education and subjects like mathematics can thrive together to grow well-rounded, culturally connected New Zealanders.”
Stanford said funding for Te Ahu o te Reo Māori was cut because the programme “isn’t accredited” and was “more than double the cost of similar courses available”.
She said an evaluation of the programme had found no evidence it directly impacted progress and achievement for students. The review also couldn’t quantify what impact the programme had on te reo Māori use in the classroom, she said.
That particular review is yet to be made publicly available.
Te Ahu o te Reo Māori’s contract ends at the end of the year and there is currently no replacement.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, Stanford strongly defended the decision, saying the Government had to make “tough choices” and that she was in talks with another provider about a potential replacement.
She said around half of those enrolled completed the programme.
Asked why the Government could not have found the $30m from anywhere else in the system, she said: “When I saw the evaluation for Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori, it made sense for us to use that resource for mathematics, to make sure all of our kids in New Zealand are getting the very best start.
“I think what we will do in future is look to contract much better. It is really important teachers can say students’ names correctly, that they can use everyday Māori phrases in schools. We need to deliver that for our teachers, this particular contract was not delivering.
“I am massively committed to te reo Māori. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but every single thing that I’ve done – structured literacy, structure mathematics – has also been created in te reo Māori.”
Stanford listed a number of education initiatives centred around te reo Māori and improving outcomes for Māori learners.
These included a new tool to check how a child is progressing in reading through te reo Māori, providing resources for literacy and maths in te reo Māori as well as up to $5000 in annual funding for the next four years for books, games and other materials and the establishment of the Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group.
The $30m being taken from the te reo Māori course would go towards new maths resources including workbooks, teacher guidance and lesson plans that will be available in English and te reo Māori.
“This Government is committed to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and recognises the importance of the language in our schools.
“We will work with the Wānanga, tertiary providers and private training establishments to continue to make similar courses available free of charge. Funding for te reo Māori courses in Māori medium schools and kura will also remain.
Flat Bush Primary principal Banapa Avatea said his staff were “extremely disappointed” by Thursday’s announcement.
Avatea’s school had been using the programme since 2021 and he now has teachers who speak immersive Māori.
“What it’s enabled at our school is for us to be able to increase for many of our staff, the confidence and delivery of te reo Māori and increase knowledge of tikanga Māori.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.