23 Feb 2015

'Make charter schools teach Te Reo'

10:26 am on 23 February 2015

A Te Reo campaigner says every new charter school should be forced to teach Māori language lessons.

Te Reo campaigner and broadcaster Pat Spellman.

Te Reo campaigner and broadcaster Pat Spellman. Photo: SUPPLIED

Bay of Plenty broadcaster Pat Spellman is an ardent proponent of Te Reo and recently called for Tauranga to become a bilingual city.

The iwi radio presenter said it should be compulsory for all public schools students to learn the language.

And he said he would take that a step further by making a prerequisite for charter schools to include Te Reo Māori as a core subject.

Mr Spellman said if the language was in the education system, then New Zealand children would grow up and accept Te Reo and Te Ao Maori (the Maori world) as a way of life fro everyone, and not just Māori people.

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