During 12-18 September it was Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, an annual campaign led by the Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission, aimed to promote the use of te reo.
In light of this, the University of Auckland social media accounts were posting their revitalisation of te reo Māori goals set back in 2019.
The posts reiterated three goals that Craccum has taken from the University:
1. By 2025 te reo Māori will be an option in all student’s programme of study.
2. By 2024 all existing staff will have participated in professional development for te reo Māori learning and all new staff will be offered a course.
3. By 2024 50% of staff will have the ability and confidence to demonstrate a basic level of competency in te reo Māori.
When Craccum asked students whether they think te reo is being pushed enough at the University, they mostly thought we should be doing more.
Bachelor of Commerce student, Ryan, says, “I wasn’t aware these goals existed. It’s good that the University is showing some commitment to te reo and offering it to all students at some point is a great idea. They could do a little more though”.
Regarding the third goal, Bachelor of Arts student, Henry, says, “If I’m expected to reach an intermediate level in my language course after one year, and pass an advanced level in three, I think the University can do a lot better than getting staff to a basic level of te reo in 18 years [from now].”
Another Bachelor of Arts student, Ruby, says, “I could learn the basics of any language from Duolingo in a week, it’s not that hard if people care enough to do it. It’s a poor showing from the University to be honest, and I would have expected better”.
The University of Auckland did not respond to Craccum’s request for comment regarding their te reo goals.
