Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori announced a new study investigating the health of the Māori language in homes and communities.

Te Ahu o te Reo aims to identify the state of te reo in selected communities, the challenges and opportunities to support reo development and any other factors relevant to helping whānau and communities achieve their aspirations for language revitalisation.

Undertaken by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and using a similar methodology to the seminal work of Richard and Nena Benton in the 1970s, and visiting a sample of households and communities – including some of the communities engaged in the original study 40 years ago. The results of this study are expected to be published on 1 February 2017.

Te Ahu o te Reo is one of five research projects which contribute to an evidence base for the revitalisation of te reo Māori. The projects are directed by He Puna Whakarauora, a research centre established by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. You can read more about the research centre and its projects on the website.