Several people spoke only English, children of parents who had been punished for speaking Maori at school. At the time of the linguistic survey, most of the people in Kaeo and Omaunu who both spoke Maori fluently and understood it well were adults over the age of 25. There were no school-age children in Kaeo then who spoke Maori well, and nearly threequarters of them did not understand it at all. This is partly due to the fact that English is, the language that is mainly used when adults and children talk with each other. Maori seemed to be spoken mainly among the older generation, especially those over 45. Most people, however, were behind the teaching of the language in schools, and it was good to see that more people were taking part in the teaching of their own children and mokopuna.
Te Tai Tokerau | Northland | Far North | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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