Mike Hosking: Politicians have no right to decide what gets taught in schools

Trainspotters might have noticed at the Prime Minister's post-Cabinet press conference this week she had a sign language interpreter.

This is to be a permanent fixture apparently, it recognises the fact sign language is our third official language.

But ah, I hear you say, well if she's speaking English and the signers are signing, where is the Māori?

Good question. I don't know, but there are people plotting as regards greater use of our second language.

Greens co-Leader Marama Davidson has magically reappeared and taken credit for the aforementioned signing move. Her next step? Compulsory Māori language in schools. She is backed by Nanaia Mahuta who says it's a case of when, not if.

I hope she's wrong. Why would you make a language like Māori compulsory when nothing else is? Why would Māori be the only compulsory thing in schools?

By the time you reach Year 13 these days you can choose what you like.
Thirty-five years ago, when I was imprisoned in our state schooling system, I was still forced to pick English, maths and a science. It was extremely limiting and made massive assumptions about where you were heading for work.

The down side of today of course, in being able to choose what you like, is you run the risk of kids loading up on lightweight go nowhere-ish sort of subjects. Yes, you pass everything and yes, it's not a stretch but where does it ultimately take you?

And surely if we have learned nothing about school it's the link between learning and work. Where is the Māori language taking you?

And before all the handwringers get up in arms, learning in school must be more than promoting things, and this is all that's driving the Davidson and Mahutas. It is the pushing of their heritage and their culture. And they're over-reaching.

Māori is not an international language, it is not a language of trade or business.
So their argument for compulsion is not about advancing the country's cause, it's about using their power and influence to hi-jack a system.

Advocacy, the promotion of an idea is one thing, using your office to impose it is something else.

The Māori language is debatably going through a small - but some would argue
significant - renaissance with more people enrolling to learn it and that is no bad thing.

It is in fact the thing that's been the answer all along. The language has stagnated to be kind, gone backwards to be realistic, for most of my life.

But the answer to its survival was always available to you if you wanted to partake, it has never been illegal to learn it.

And now through a variety of mechanisms, mainly publicity and cultural promotion, those who run courses are reporting increasing numbers, and that's good.

Gentle, if not creative persuasion, tends to work - bullying, arm-wrestling and an authoritarian arrogance, not so much.