Children perform a haka for Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during the ‘Tea With Taranaki’ event at Brooklands Park on November 9, 2015 (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Children perform a haka for Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during the ‘Tea With Taranaki’ event at Brooklands Park on November 9, 2015 (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
The arguments for compulsory Māori language classes in schools are compelling, yet some insist it means the sky is falling, writes Don Rowe.
Less than eight months out from the first post-Teflon-John election, the Green Party has placed te reo Māori at the centre of their campaign, calling for compulsory inclusion in schools. The plan, which would see te reo made a core unit until year 10, is a strident affirmation of a long running policy to work towards universal Māori in public education.
Marama Davidson, the Greens’ spokesperson on Māori development, pointed out that 2013 figures showed only 3.7 percent of New Zealanders spoke te reo Māori, while “the percentage of Māori who can hold a conversation in te reo Māori is falling”.
It seems reasonable, ambitious and forward-thinking – aka good policy – but nothing brings out reactionaries like the idea that one of our national languages should be taught at school.
Four hundred and forty three likes and counting on this one …
Never mind the proven cognitive benefits children gain through being bilingual. Forget that empowered indigenous communities have better outcomes across the board. Disregard that our national identity as a multicultural society with roots in te ao Māori is marketed around the world. Ignore even the fact we have an obligation under the Treaty of Waitangi to preserve te reo Māori. What does any of that matter when there are some clear downsides, like:
“It’s a dying language!”, “Why don’t they learn something useful?” and “Buh buh buh my English! Why don’t we teach Māori to say ‘you’ instead of ‘youse’ first?”
Te reo Māori was dying once before. In fact, the state of the language was so dire after World War II as Māori became an urban people that in 1985 a claim was lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal alleging a failure of the Crown to protect te reo Māori. In the words of Māori Battalion veteran and Ngāpuhi leader Sir James Hēnare, “The language is the core of our Māori culture and mana. Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori [The language is the life force of the mana Māori]. If the language dies, as some predict, what do we have left to us? Then, I ask our own people, who are we?”
The tribunal ruled the Crown was failing to protect the taonga of te reo Māori, and was thus in breach of te Tiriti. Five recommendations were made around the retention and promotion of te reo, and in 1987 The Māori Language Act declared te reo Māori to be an official language of New Zealand. Two years later the Education Amendment Act 1989 recognised and promoted kura kaupapa (Māori immersion schools) and whare wānanga (publicly owned Māori tertiary education).
In mainstream schooling, the Post-Primary Teachers Association supported making te reo a “universal subject” for all school students within months of Helen Clark’s election. Labour’s education minister Chris Hipkins has also indicated support, saying that “many of us in the Labour Party” had supported that proposition in the past. Education Minister Hekia Parata, however, said students were more motivated to learn if they weren’t forced to, which seems a strange position to take when one considers we already have compulsory subjects and nobody is suggesting math be optional.
There are clear and transferable cognitive benefits to learning a second language. Anecdotally, exposure to Māori at school has also made learning Spanish much easier – things like rolling r’s, reading phonetically and varying the way vowels are pronounced are a significant part of the process.
Besides, education isn’t purely about pumping out efficient automatons, it’s about growing well-rounded people who are valuable for more than just their economic potential. An understanding and cultural context for our own history – which we still barely teach *cough* land wars *cough* – creates a more informed and considered citizenry.
Of course, there are legitimate concerns around the policy. Most obviously, we don’t currently have enough teachers proficient in te reo to actually make it happen. Instituting the Greens’ plan would take time and money. Adjustments would have to be made to the current curriculum. It’s absolutely a formidable undertaking.
But that’s no reason to write it off. Here’s a small sampling of countries in which it’s compulsory to learn not just the national tongue, but one, sometimes two, foreign languages:
Belgium, Cyprus, Malta, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Norway, Portugal, Spain, France, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Slovenia, Turkey, and the Netherlands.
If they can handle it, why not us? German students manage several languages without their math falling off the earth, and nobody is accusing the French of being under-educated. Children in Belgium start learning their second language at three years old.
Are the children of Europe uniquely placed to handle learning more than a single language without burning out, flunking, disgracing their family names – or are we just pretending when we say this is about anything more than intolerance?
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Following the Women’s March and the hellish weeks since, Alex Casey reached out to people across the country to make this list of actions and organisations you can lend help to here in New Zealand.
It is almost impossible to comprehend that New Zealand led the rest of the world during the Women’s Marches less than two weeks ago, and how swiftly things have since descended into what can only be described as a long drop straight to hell. There was a brief moment there, standing in the middle of Queen St with millions more globally marching for equality, that everything felt like it was going to be okay. Little kids were chanting “hope not fear.” A lone MRA activist who had ventured out from his mum’s basement to yell at us was silenced by a rogue pair of defiant breasts. It was truly moving (you can hear more about the triumphs and problems of the march here).
As the Auckland crowd spilled into Myers Park, the sizzling energy made me feel like my heart was going to explode and all my teeth and fingernails were going to fall out at the same time. In the best way possible. “They tried to bury us,” quoted columnist Tracy Barnett into the microphone, “but they didn’t know we were seeds.” I got home later that day absolutely bloody fizzing, and started messaging everyone I could think of for cool tips on how to channel this energy into doing more good stuff here in New Zealand.
Needless to say, a lot of things have changed since that weekend. Despite the excrement being piled up, like the seeds, we need to keep growing through the layers of shit. With the generous help of many passionate mates across the country, here is a list of small to big actions that you can take, resources that you can soak in, and further below, organisations you can support, to make positive change here in New Zealand following the Women’s March (follow the Women’s March on Facebook here).
In collaboration with many generous people who helped out across New Zealand, the aim was to make this as inclusive as possible, but it is by no means definitive. It is a starting point, a pick ‘n mix if ye will. And please, if you have any suggestions or organisations that matter to you, please email them to me alex@thespinoff.co.nz and I will make it so.
Thank you kindly to every angelic soul who has contributed to growing this piece so far:Michele A’Court, Leonie Hayden, Amy Pearl, Anna Dean, Angela Meyer-Blacksmith, Marama Davidson, Aych McArdle, Murdoch Stephens, Anna Bracewell-Worrall, Eva McGauley, Catherine McGregor, Lexie Matheson, Nicola Igusa, Johanna Freeman, Laila Harré, Demi Heath, Scout Barbour-Evans, Jess McAllen, Lana Lopesi, Catherine Healy, Kyla Rayner, Alex McLeay, Leonie Morris, Beth Goodwin, Kim Griggs, Robyn Hunt, Katherine Rix, Emily Newman, Rebekah Sherriff, Terry Bellamak, Sarah Batkin and Jackie Clark.
A BY NO MEANS FINISHED LIST OF SMALL ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW OR MAYBE TOMORROW OR PERHAPS LATER THIS WEEK EVEN TO NOT FEEL LIKE A HELPLESS AXOLOTL OUT AT SEA
Educating yourself is an act of bloody resistance in itself. If you have the time and the access, lend your brain some precious learnings. There are books and films scattered throughout this post that can help to grow your juicy mind-grapes and make a sweet, angry wine.
(L-R) Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem, Feminism is For Everybody by Bell Hooks, We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
In Wellington? Visit Photival during Feb-March and have a geeze at photography that focusses on positive change being made around the world, and the charities making it happen.
Follow @TheWeavingHouse on Twitter, she weaved her feminist magic through this piece and provides a fantastic stream of wahine power and news in New Zealand.
You can find contact information for your local MPs here. Ring them, email them, visit them or write to them (freepost) and tell them what matters to you. Ask them tough questions: what do they think about equal pay and abortion law reform? What position do they hold on the refugee quota? Is the dress white or blue?
Join Good Bitches Baking, they bake every Sunday and donate the goods to people in need so you don’t eat it all alone on a Saturday night.
(L-R) She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, Patu! Dark Girls
Volunteer to provide practical support to migrants and refugees by teaching English through English Language Partners here.
Make sure to keep intersectionality in mind at all times; everyone arrives at the same place from a different starting point. Feminism is for everyone. Even cats.
Go here to watch the incredible stories of refugee women who found a home in New Zealand.
Clear out your closet in the next few weeks and donate all your nice, clean clothes to The Aunties on Facebook who then send them to The Women’s Refuge and the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective.
If you are starting or heading back to uni this year, considering enrolling in a Māori studies or Te Reo paper as part of your course. AUT and Unitec offer free 10 week courses. Here is a list of free or low-cost courses all around NZ.
(L-R) The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke, A History of New Zealand Women by Barbara Brookes, Coming Out Like a Porn Star by Jiz Lee.
Read this amazing blog about the experience of disabled women living invisibly throughout New Zealand history.
Call to make it easier for trans people in New Zealand to be able to change their gender markers and names, and with less of a financial barrier.
Remember Girl Guides? Have a look at the website and consider volunteering to help raise so rowdy, nasty New Zealand girls.
Follow and contribute to women’s groups online (like this and this and this). Connect with like-minded people across the country, share chill memes, viral vids and smash the patriarchy like a watermelon. I mean, just shopping and makeup and stuff.
(L-R) Redefining Realness by Janet Mock, Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit, I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzi.
Understand gender diversity and be conscious of the various symbols of feminism. Many women do not experience vaginas and periods as markers of womanhood.
Consider joining a union, even if you don’t feel like you ‘need’ it. Here is a directory from the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. Swap tips about how to ask for more $$$, and how you can advocate for people being chronically underpaid $$$.
If you buy your lunch, think about spending your money with Pomegranate Kitchen or Eat My Lunch (you can also volunteer with EML).
Consider joining local organisations (listed below), a union, a political party, a book club or even creating your own group. Make tiny circles of chat until all the circles join up bigly in a way that is yuuuge.
(L-R) Miss Representation, Hidden Figures, Girl Rising.
If you hear something that is out of line, call the person out. Take a tip from On the Rag and yell “STOP HARASSING WOMEN” at catcallers. Don’t let that racist or sexist family member get off as lightly as they have in the past. Correct pronouns. Be a real snitch.
Live in a major centre and able to march? Assemble a protest kit (featuring shoes, snacks, sunblock, signs) ready for action by the front. Unfortunately, you’ll probably need them again.
Understand the issues impacting New Zealanders around bodily autonomy, such as the genital mutilation of intersex babies, and the shortage of competent health care and support for gender diverse people.
Feel totally free, if you feel safe and up to it, to attend counter-protests during the 40 Days For Life vigils which are held annually by anti-choice groups around New Zealand.
Fact check everything you read and make sure you only share accurate news. Discredit fake news and prove it wrong. Support and share reputable material. Only the best. The very best. The greatest.
Basically, do what you can to keep the lights on for both the services that matter here in New Zealand. If you are able to: volunteer your time, money, fundraising ideas and advocacy to organisations in your area. Hold mufti days at school or run bake sales at work.
Which leads us to part two…
AN ALPHABETISED LIST OF RESOURCES AND ORGANISATIONS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN JOINING AND OR HELPING AND OR READING UP ON OR WHATEVER DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH IT REALLY IT’S YOUR LIFE
Action Station is a really good online hub for people to connect with specific issues, start and sign petitions, and have more voices heard. Spend 10 minutes having a trawl.
ALRANZ (Abortion Law Reform Association New Zealand) is your first stop for information and steps you can take to change Abortion Law in NZ. No foetus funerals in sight.
Amnesty International works tirelessly on a wide range of human rights issues including refugee welfare, the humanitarian crisis in Syria, and ending torture. You can get involved with as small an action as signing a petition or sending an email.
(L-R) Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine, The Women’s Room by Marilyn French, Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay.
Child poverty Action Groupis an independent charity working to eliminate child poverty in New Zealand through research, education and advocacy.
Dear Em is a place for young women to find a voice, support each other, recognise sexual harm and find ways to be stronger and more confident.
Disability Clothesline NZ has found a powerful, creative way to break the silence about violence and abuse experienced by disabled people in New Zealand.
Double The Quota is committed to making New Zealand’s refugee intake central to the political agenda this year, follow them on Facebook for regular updates.
Family Planning New Zealand provides a range of services including sexual and reproductive health information, clinical services, education, training and research. Also: free condoms on the counter.
Girl Guiding New Zealand is always in need of volunteers, and teaches young Kiwi women to encounter the world on their own terms.
HELP provides support services to sexual abuse and support survivors.
Islamic Women’s Council is a group formed to cater specifically to the needs, and support the empowerment of Muslim women around the country.
New Zealand Prostitute’s Collective advocates for the rights, health and well-being of all sex workers. Remember to include these women in your feminism, otherwise it’s not feminism.
(L-R) Playing the Whore by Melissa Gira Grant, Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis, Sex Object by Jessica Valenti.
Pacific Women’s Watch NZ was established to monitor the status of women in the Asia-Pacific Region, hosts interesting events and discussions.
The Auckland Women’s Centre runs a hell of a fundraiser night and provides affordable, quality welfare & support services, personal development educational opportunities and events.
The Human Rights Commission works for a free, fair, safe and just New Zealand, where diversity is valued and human dignity and rights are respected.
The Māori Women’s Welfare League (Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora) led by Prue Kapua is ensuring that Māori women’s voices are being heard.
The Ministry for Women (Minitatanga mō ngā Wāhine) exists to improve lives for New Zealand women. The Ministry is the Government’s principal advisor on achieving better results for women, and wider New Zealand.
(L-R) Stuff I Forgot to Tell My Daughter by Michele A’Court, Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde, Yassmin’s Story by Yassmin Abdel-Magied.
The National Council of Women New Zealand has been fighting the good fight for gender equality in New Zealand for 120 years. That’s longer than all the Hobbit films.
The Pay Equity Challenge is a coalition of community, employer, union & academic groups committed to keeping Pay Equity issues on the government’s agenda.
The Red Cross runs New Zealand’s refugee resettlement programme and is a hub for everything from donating quality used goods, to volunteering with new families, to linking refugees with employment opportunities.
RainbowYOUTH has been supporting queer and gender diverse people in Aotearoa for over 25 years, and provides heaps of useful intel and support options.
RAW offers socially disadvantaged women a pathway forward to a different lifestyle through support and education.
(L-R) You Can’t Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson, Shrill by Lindy West, The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.
Refugees as Survivors provides mental health support to refugees entering and resettling in New Zealand.
Rural Women New Zealand is a membership-based organisation which supports women in rural communities through learning opportunities, advocacy & connection.
Shakti New Zealand is devoted to the good health and well-being of New Zealand’s migrant and refugee communities through culturally competent services.
Shine is committed to ending domestic violence in New Zealand.
The Treat her Right campaign is going to kick off this year, because remember how the Equal Pay Act of 1972 still isn’t working? Been ages innit.
Wellington Rape Crisis provides support, advocacy, information and counselling services for women and gender minority survivors of rape and sexual abuse and their family and friends.
White Ribbon is an organisation that aims to end men’s violence towards women by encouraging men to lead by example and talk to other men.
Women’s Health Action is a social change organisation working to improve the health and wellbeing of women, their families, and communities. Their article about the “unfortunate experiment” at National Women’s Hospital led to the Cartwright Inquiry in the late ’80s.
Women’s Refuge NZ exist to help prevent and stop family violence in New Zealand. They offer education programmes and support services, information and safe housing to women, young people and children experiencing abuse.
YWCA New Zealand supports individual and community change by empowering young women. Also doesn’t have a pesky theme song.
The Society section is sponsored by AUT. As a contemporary university we’re focused on providing exceptional learning experiences, developing impactful research and forging strong industry partnerships. Start your university journey with us today.
