Your view: Te reo funding 'flogging a dead horse'

Awanui and Wiremu Black, 18, having a conversation in te reo (Maori) at Tauranga Boys' College marae. Photo/file

Reader Ken Evans from Tauranga wrote in questioning whether the Government should continue spending money on the resurgence of te reo, given that the number of Maori fluent in the language is declining.

What do you think? Have your say on the issue by commenting below.

There is an old but true saying. You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

I raise this because it is Maori Language Week and the signs are not good.

For instance, news reports say, despite millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on the teaching and promotion of the Maori language, the number of fluent speakers is declining.

This is because, I believe, Maori people in general are not motivated to save the language.

Yet the activists among them expect the Government to continue to spend and spend to save this "treasure", which evidence shows Maori do not value.

Taxpayer order to the Government: stop flogging this dead horse.

- KEN EVANS, Tauranga

Have your say by commenting below.