These earlier reports should be used for historical perspective – many of our more recent reports replace these and are more current and up to date.
The New Zealand Curriculum sets out a clear vision for the teaching of, and in, te reo Māori:
"Ko te reo te manawa pou o te Māori, Ko te ihi waimanawa o te tangata, Ko te, ko te hūpē te waiaroha. Ko tōku nui, tōku whakatiketike, tōko reo.
Te reo Māori is indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a taonga recongnised under the treaty of Waitangi, a primary source of our nation's self-knowledge and identity, and an official language. By understanding and using te reo Māori New Zealanders become more aware of the role played by the indigenous language and culture in defining and asserting our point of difference in the wider world.
Ko te Māori te kākahu o te whakaaro, te huarahi i te au turōa.
By learning te reo and becoming increasingly familiar with tikanga, Māori students strengthen their identities, while non-Māori journey towards shared culteral understandings. All who learn to reo Māori help to secure its future as a living, dynamic and rich language. As they learn, they come to appreciate that diversity is the key to unity.
Te reo Māori underpins Māori cultural development and supports Māori social and economic development in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. Understanding te reo Māori stretches learners cognitively, enabling them to think in different ways and preparing them for leadership.
By learning te reo Māori, students are able to:
- participate with understanding and confidence in situations where te reo and tikange Māori predominate and to integrate language and culteral understandings into their lives; and
- strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand's identity in the world; broaden their entrepreneurial and employment options to include work and in an ever increasing range of social, educational, business, and professional settings.
Ko te manu e kai I te miro, nōna te ngahere. Ko te mana e kai ana I te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori."