Did Gerry Brownlee treat Chlöe Swarbrick unfairly? Photo / Mark Mitchell
Choose your first words carefully
So Erica Stanford has decided that the children’s reader At The Marae will not be reprinted (except in “big book” form) as the six Māori words have vowel sounds pronounced differently from their English equivalent, thus making it difficult for young readers to decode.
Using the same reasoning and logic, one must assume she will also remove all the English words with inconsistent vowel sounds, such as “go”, “to” and “look”; “and”, “said” and “are”; “the”, “we” and “get”.
Will her next move decree that children’s names in the beginning-level readers be “Ann”, “Tom” and “Sid”, with not an “Amy”, “Toby” or “Simon” in sight? As for the names of adults, “Miss” must be the only one usable, as how could a 5-year-old be expected to apply phonetic analysis principles to decode “Mr” or “Mrs”.
How will “Kiri”, “Hemi” and “Tana” feel reading books where their language and culture are ignored in a country where te reo Māori is an official language?
Surely every parent wants to hear their child’s teacher say, “He tohunga tō tamaiti ki te pānui” (”Your child is great at reading”), and for the parent to respond “Ehara, ehara” (“Absolutely”).
Sue Leman, Mt Albert.
The children can cope
It is astonishing to note so much alarm over the inclusion of Māori words in the reading programme for 5-year-olds. Surely teachers and children can both cope with the inclusion of vocabulary that many learners would already be familiar with.
Songs in Māori, counting and skipping rhymes are known and often sung in kindergarten and pre-school situations. Most young children entering school would happily cope with “pukeko” or “pipi” as part of daily life and vocabulary. Growing up in New Zealand, they are also used to Aotearoa as the name of our motu.
We have a hybrid language already; it’s not easy or desirable to separate English and Māori usage.
As a writer for Red Rocket Books, used as supplementary readers in junior classes, I am delighted to find some of my early titles being produced in Māori. Why would we want to backtrack on the language progress that has already been made? Would the education authorities please reconsider this restrictive attitude towards early school learning?
Diana Burslem, Epsom.
Blood-and-guts debate
Gerry Brownlee has done it again! Add this latest fiasco in the debating chamber to his long list of “Gerry Brownlee Gaffes” - and yes, there is a page with a list of at least 10 major gaffes on it.
Brownlee defended his actions by saying Chlöe Swarbrick’s words were directed personally at other coalition MPs. Oh no! That being the case then, why was Labour’s Kieran McNulty not sent from the House in July last year when he said, “They are spineless and gutless because they have given in to the whims of their coalition partners just to get into power”, when referring to National. He went on to say, “Utterly spineless and gutless.”
There are many other examples of references to spines and guts being used, even by Sir John Key, which Brownlee enthusiastically applauded at the time.
If anyone should be asked to apologise for their hasty actions, it’s Brownlee. But I’m guessing he will be too gutless, or should that be spineless?
Steve Jardine, Glendowie.
Add to that list . . .
Chlöe Swarbrick, the co-leader of the Green Party, was asked to leave the House yesterday for the second time after calling MPs spineless, or questioning whether enough of them had spines, and refusing to apologise.
I support the cause Chlöe was espousing, in its essence, and also her right to make that comment in the House without being asked to leave.
However, I wonder if she will now add to her list of spineless MPs two former Prime Ministers, (Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins) and two former ministers (Grant Robertson and Ayesha Verrall), who have all chosen not to appear in public hearings for the Covid Royal Commission of Inquiry, despite being asked to do so, as announced on Wednesday.
Claire Chambers, Parnell.
In support of Peters’ approach
It would seem that Hamas has now come out and thanked all of those nations that, in recent weeks, called for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Hamas claims that this was its ultimate aim and that it is grateful for the international support. That would underscore why Chlöe Swarbrick’s call for support from “six of 68 government MPs with a spine” was, in fact, way off course, and that Winston Peters’ more cautious approach makes total sense.
John Pendreigh, Westmere.
Good on Chlöe!
What Chlöe Swarbrick said in the House, and to reporters afterwards, was right on the money, and she should not have been told to withdraw her statement and apologise. Good on her for not doing so.
Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.