18 Sep 2020

Ngā Tamatoa members on Māori language in schools

From Morning Report, 8:51 am on 18 September 2020

Activists who led the historic 1972 Māori Language Petition are still fighting for te reo to be compulsory in schools. 

They gathered 30,000 signatures asking for the language to be taught in all schools.

A former member of Ngā Tamatoa, Toro Waaka, remembers the 1972 campaign vividly, and the push-back he received, even from his own.

His friend, Larry Parr, faced similar backlash. 

Now fifty years on they're still hopeful their dream will come true but back in 1972 they faced an uphill battle.