Robust Maori language use in Wairarapa

GOOD NUMBERS:Makuini Kerehi, who co-ordinates Te Reo programmes, says REAP courses are doing well.

THE Maori language is alive and well in Wairarapa, despite twice as many secondary school pupils in the area opting to study French.

French was the most frequently studied language in the area after English in 2014, according to Ministry of Education statistics.

Figures show 270 pupils in Wairarapa studied French in 2014 and 116 studied te reo Maori.

Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa curriculum developer Maxine Hemi said children were speaking Maori in the Wairarapa - even if they were not studying the language in school.

"I don't hear any kids speaking French but I do hear Maori all the time."

Maori was becoming more of a natural language and words were becoming commonly used.

Ms Hemi said she had not grown-up speaking Maori but her children had. They were more confident and grounded and knew who they were because of it.

"They have no problem with their identity and standing up as Maori."

She wanted Maori taught in schools but didn't want it forced on pupils.

A Wairarapa REAP representative says adults in the area are also keen to learn te reo. REAP offers te reo courses in all Wairarapa towns except Eketahuna.

Makuini Kerehi, who is responsible for the development of programmes for Maori and Pacific people, said courses in Masterton ranged from basic to advanced. She said there also seemed to be an upsurge in adults wanting to learn te reo.

REAP's early childhood network ran at least one or two courses a year to encourage use of te reo. REAP also ran two annual kapa haka festivals for all Wairarapa schools.

Across the country, there has been a steady drop in secondary school language enrolments since 2008.

There was a 19 per cent decrease in pupils signing up to learn a language other than English from July 2008 to July 2014.

Head of pupil achievement at the Ministry of Education, Dr Graham Stoop said learning a language was increasingly important to ensuring New Zealand children became confident, connected global citizens.

"As the market for goods and services has become increasingly globalised, language is more important than ever."

Dr Stoop said learner numbers tended to taper off at senior secondary level, but over the past 10 years there had been an overall increase in language pupils.

"Students are learning languages from an earlier age and there has been a steep rise in students taking Mandarin, as parents increasingly see Chinese as an important language."

He said quality teaching was critical for high quality outcomes and the Ministry of Education aimed to increase the number of qualified language teachers across the country.

Nationally, at a secondary level te reo Maori, French, Japanese and Spanish were the most studied languages.

Tokelauan, Korean and Niuean have been the least popular since 2008, gathering no more than three dozen pupils each year.