20 Oct 2014

Warning Te Reo hui may be confronting

6:21 pm on 20 October 2014

A national hui on the revitalisation of Te Reo Maori is likely to raise issues which could be hard for some people to hear, according to a senior university lecturer.

Waikato University's School of Maori and Pacific Development, Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao, is hosting a day-long hui called Te Whakahaumanutanga o Te Reo Maori symposium on 13 December.

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Photo: RNZ

It is open to anyone who wants to share their experiences about Te Reo.

Te Pua Wananga senior lecturer Sophie Knock said so far she has had inquiries from academics, but hoped that teachers and anyone else who wanted to would attend.

Ms Knock said there appeared to be two strands which Te Reo Rangatira comes under - teaching and learning of the language and the second stream is policy and planning for the language.

She hoped the symposium would provide a platform for some robust discussions, but some may hear information about Te Reo they may not like.

Ms Knock said she wants to know about how the Ministry of Education has contributed to keeping Te Reo alive.

She has completed research about how the language is taught in English medium schools, and said things are not as good as what may appear.

The hui is an opportunity to explore what is happening to Te Reo and enable korero over how to address problems, she said.

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