Embracing Te Reo

Thirty years after te reo Māori was declared an official language of Aotearoa, it seems to be in better health than it has been for a long time. Free classes started by Fush eatery’s Anton Matthews attracted hundreds of eager learners, and media such as RNZ have embraced its everyday use. But Don Brash is ‘utterly sick’ of it, and Green Party calls for compulsory te reo in schools have been met with some hostility. Join lecturer Hēmi Kelly, author of A Māori Word a Day, broadcaster Miriama Kamo and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe, programme leader of Ngāi Tahu’s te reo strategy, Kotahi Mano Kāika, for a korero with Jeanette King about the state of te reo in Aotearoa and how we can all help to keep New Zealand’s first language alive.