Te Reo Maori education given $12.5 million bump in Budget 2018

Classroom.

The implementation of compulsory Te Reo Maori in schools has been hotly debated, with Budget 2018 delivering a nudge in the direction of te reo Maori education. 

Yesterday, Budget 2018 delivered a $12.5 million bump to Te Ahu o Te Reo Maori, "to lift capability across the system for delivering quality Te Reo Maori education". 

"Te Ahu o Te Reo Maori will support teachers to deliver te reo in the classroom," said Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis. "It will support all teachers. those already teaching te reo, and those who have the potential but may not yet have the confidence. This is the start of our plan to better integrate te reo into early learning, primary and intermediate schools."

The Maori Development Minister said today New Zealand is ready, “it's just the education system isn't”.

Maori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta had openly supported compulsory Te Reo Maori, just last week saying it was "only a matter of time". 

Ms Mahuta said in order to deliver on compulsory Te Reo Maori, there must be enough teachers, "both within mainstream and Maori education". 

"I think it's only a matter of time, it's not if, it's going to be when."

The lack of te reo teachers has been used by the Labour Party when asked about its support for compulsory Te Reo Maori in schools.

Fush encourages the use of Te Reo Maori on its premises, so owner Anton Matthews has taken his passion for the language to a whole new level.

The government may face issues with the Green Party and NZ First having differing stances. 

The Green Party's election pledge was to create a taskforce to work towards making Te Reo Maori a core curriculum subject, "beginning with Year 1 in 2020 and each successive school year through to 2030 when all school levels from Year 1 to Year 10 will be included". 

Last week, NZ First's Shane Jones told Stuff: "Read my lips: Our party has no ambition to make Te Reo Maori compulsory in Invercargill or in any other schooling committee."

The cartoon will be available on the 23rd of April on the Pipi Ma website.

Education Central reported during the 2017 election that NZ First wanted to provide scholarships to Te Reo Maori teachers to address the shortage. 

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