1 Sep 2010

Hui considers Maori language strategy

2:01 pm on 1 September 2010

The expert panel looking at Maori language strategy has called reo advocates to a hui at Parliament's banquet hall on Wednesday.

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples has asked the panel to say whether the Government is getting value for the $200 million a year it spends on promoting the language.

Its chair, Tamati Reedy from Ngati Porou, says it also has to assess whether what's being done by government is in line with the aspirations of Maori.

"Apart from value for money," he told Waatea News, "there are other values, such as what is it doing to create an identity in the nation, identity within Maoridom itself, how is it contributing to the well-being of Maori people...

"Who is to carry this great task of nurturing the reo so that it lives on for all time?"