<\/p>\n
\nThe Education Ministry canned At the Marae for containing “too many M\u0101ori words.
\nPhoto: Screenshot \/ Ministry of Education\n<\/p>\n
A leading M\u0101ori studies academic says Education Minister Erica Stanford’s decision to remove te reo M\u0101ori from new early-reading books is “a dangerous move” that breaches both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights.<\/p>\n
University of Auckland Professor of M\u0101ori Studies and linguist Margaret Mutu (Ng\u0101ti Kahu, Te Rarawa, Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua) believes erasing te reo M\u0101ori from children’s everyday learning is “an attempt to maintain the doctrine of discovery” and “inculcate white supremacy”.<\/p>\n
“It’s a very, very dangerous move and I feel really sorry for the mokopuna [grandchildren], who are being grossly misinformed and educated wrongly.”<\/p>\n
Last week, the Education Ministry canned early-reading book<\/a> At the Marae from its Ready to Read Phonics Plus (RtRPP) series, because it had “too many” M\u0101ori words.<\/p>\n Documents released on Wednesday revealed that decision was part of a wider policy, approved by Education Minister Erica Stanford in October 2024, to exclude all M\u0101ori words<\/a>, apart from character names, from any new books in the series.<\/p>\n The pukapuka (books) are used in primary schools to help five-year-olds learn to read.<\/p>\n At the time, the decision affected 13 books in development, all of which only included M\u0101ori words in character names. The wider series, which currently has 27 books featuring M\u0101ori words, could still be reprinted once finished.<\/p>\n The report showed the move was driven by concerns from some literacy experts that including M\u0101ori words alongside English could confuse tamariki (children), although evidence on this was “mixed”.<\/p>\n Officials advised the minister that “limited” research existed on the impact of kupu M\u0101ori in early reading books.<\/p>\n \nProfessor Margaret Mutu claims exposure to more than one language is extremely beneficial. Mutu, who has a PhD specialising in linguistics, said exposure to more than one language at a young age was extremely beneficial.<\/p>\n “Children are particularly capable of obtaining a number of different languages up to the age of six,” she told RNZ.<\/p>\n “At that stage, there is just no difficulty, no complication or anything about a child learning multiple languages. It actually gives them much greater intellectual flexibility to be able to understand a whole lot of different things, because they have access to more than one language.<\/p>\n “Being restricted and being monolingual is actually severely detrimental to children,” she said. “To deny them this exposure at the age of five is not only stupid, it’s very dangerous.”<\/p>\n \nA page from At the Marae, an early reading book that the Education Ministry removed from its Ready to Read Phonics Plus (RtRPP) series for having ‘too many’ M\u0101ori words. She also accused the Minister of “falsifying what New Zealand English actually is”.<\/p>\n “New Zealand English is full of M\u0101ori words and most speakers don’t even think about it. It’s just part of who they are, as people living in a M\u0101ori country.”<\/p>\n Mutu pointed to the Dictionary of New Zealand English and the New Zealand Oxford Dictionary as evidence, both containing hundreds of kupu M\u0101ori (M\u0101ori words) that are neither place names nor rare.<\/p>\n “What on earth is she trying to do here? Teach five-year-olds a different version of English than the one that actually exists in this country?”<\/p>\n “It’s long past time M\u0101ori and English were given equal attention in the entire schooling system, so people can be comfortable in this country.”<\/p>\n \nEducation Minister Erica Stanford’s decision has sparked backlash. The minister’s decision has sparked backlash from literacy experts<\/a>, principals<\/a>, teachers and M\u0101ori education leaders. Te Akatea, the M\u0101ori Principals’ Association, called the move “an act of white supremacy” and “an act of racism”.<\/p>\n Mutu agreed and said the change was part of a broader pattern of what she claimed was a “strongly anti-M\u0101ori and extremely racist” government.<\/p>\n Despite this, Mutu hoped tamariki would still hear and use te reo M\u0101ori in their daily lives, but said removing them from what they read in school was “shameful”.<\/p>\n “This is denying the natural intellectual growth of a child. You rob them of the ability to learn multiple languages that starts when they’re very young and fades after the age of seven.<\/p>\n “It’s a crying shame.”<\/p>\n She said, if the purpose of removing te reo from children books was to give access to five-year-old children of the words that they hear on an everyday basis, “then this is not the way to do it”.<\/p>\n “It’s just silly. Linguistically, it’s quite bizarre.”<\/p>\n \nEducation Minister Erica Stanford insists she will not remove M\u0101ori words from existing books. RNZ approached the Minister’s office for a response, but was declined.<\/p>\n However, on Wednesday, Standford said she would not remove M\u0101ori words from existing books and more titles in the series would still include M\u0101ori names and place names.<\/p>\n She had also directed the ministry to ensure M\u0101ori vowel sounds were taught explicitly in the English curriculum, so they were “not left to chance”.<\/p>\n Stanford also pointed out her part in releasing Rangaranga Reo \u0101-T\u0101, a new set of structured literacy books entirely in te reo M\u0101ori, earlier this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Education Ministry canned At the Marae for containing “too many M\u0101ori words. 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\nPhoto: Supplied \/ University of Auckland\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: Screenshot \/ Ministry of Education\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n