Ka arotaketia ngā whakanuitanga i te reo Māori Ka whakamātauria, ka arotaketia whānuitia ngā rōpü whakanui i te reo Māori, me ō rātou kaupapa, kia aronui ake ai te kāwanatanga ki ngā wawata me ngā hiahia a ngā iwi Māori, e ai ki te Minita Māori ki a Tākuta Pita Sharples.

“Tata ki te $226 miriona ka pau i te Kāwanatanga ia tau, ia tau ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori, mā roto i ngā kura, mā ngā whakapāhotanga, mā ngā mahi a Te Taura Whiri, a Te Puni Kōkiri me ëtahi atu,” hei tā te Minita.

“Mā tëtahi Rautaki Reo Māori hōu, he mea whakatü i runga i te mahi tahitanga a ngā iwi me te Karauna, ā tātou mahi whakarauora i te reo e whakakotahi,” hei tāna anō.

Tokowhitu ngā pükenga reo kua tohua ki tëtahi Rōpü Arotake a te Minita: Ko Ahorangi Tāmati Reedy hei Heamana, ko Toni Waho rātou ko Hana O’Regan, ko Cathy Dewes, ko Pem Bird, ko Pānia Papa, ko Rāhera Shortland hei mema.

Review of Māori language strategy and sector

The strategy and infrastructure of the Māori Language sector is to be completely reviewed, to ensure the programmes and expenditure across the whole of government are responsive to Iwi/Māori aspirations, Māori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples announced recently.

“Government spends around $226 million every year to revitalise Māori language, in schools, through broadcasting, in programmes supported by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and other agencies,” said the Minister.

“A revised Māori Language Strategy will bring together all our efforts to promote and revitalise our language - a strategy that will be based on partnership between the Crown and Iwi/Māori”, said Dr Sharples. A Ministerial review group of language experts will carry out this review. Professor Tamati Reedy will chair the group, with Toni Waho, Hana O’Regan, Cathy Dewes, Pem Bird, Pānia Papa and Rahera Shortland as members.

Independent panel for Review of the Māori Language Sector

Rahera Shortland (Ngāpuhi)
Rahera has extensive experience and involvement in Māori language revitalisation and education based initiatives. She has taught Māori language and kapa haka in secondary schools in the Auckland area. Rahera has had a long and distinguished involvement with Te Ātaarangi, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Te Ātaarangi Educational Trust. Rahera is currently the representative for Te Ātaarangi on Te Pütahi Paoho (the Māori Electoral College).

Toni Waho (Ngāti Rangi)
Māori language has been a central part of Toni’s career over the past 20 years through his participation in areas such as Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori. Toni has been involved in the establishment of Te Rünanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori, as well as the development of Te Aho Matua – the underlying principles for Kura Kaupapa Māori whānau, teachers and students.

Pānia Papa (Waikato, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Koroki-Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta) )
Pānia has a strong background in Māori language education and Māori performing arts. She has taught at the University of Waikato, as well as being involved in Māori language and marae based programmes through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te Wānanga o Raukawa. For years Pānia has been the producer for Cinco Cine Film Productions responsible for the Māori medium television programme Pükana and the co-director of her consultancy Takatü Ltd.

Emeritus Professor Tamati Reedy (Ngāti Porou)
Professor Tamati Reedy has an extensive background in education and the public sector. He was the Chief Executive and Secretary of the Department of Māori Affairs from 1983 to 1989, and also worked at the Department of Education. As the Foundation Dean and Professor at University Waikato, Professor Reedy established the new school of Māori and Pacific Development.

Hana O’Regan (Kai Tahu)
Hana has a Māori language revitalisation and Māori language education background. Hana taught at the University of Otago as well as the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. Hana co-managed the Māori language unit for Te Rünanga o Ngāi Tahu where she helped develop and implement the Ngāi Tahu iwi Māori language strategy.

Cathy Dewes (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou) )
Cathy is a long-time advocate of the Māori language and has been actively involved in various Māori language revitalisation initiatives for more than three decades. Cathy was part of the Te Reo Māori Society, and a founding member of the Kura Kaupapa Māori movement.

Pembroke (Pem) Bird (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Tahu)
Pem has an extensive Māori language and mainstream education background. His roles within the education sector range from being a teacher, principal, as well as a Dean of Te Puna Wānanga at the former Auckland College of Education. In 1986, he became the principal of Rakaumanga School in Huntly – one of the first total immersion schools in New Zealand. He was also a founder of the Te Akatea National Māori Principals Association. Pem has public sector experience having worked for both the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.