Although more than three-quarters of the informants had been punished for speaking Maori as children at school, and although English is the main language of newspapers, radio and television and of most New Zealanders, many people in the area still speak Maori as they go about their everyday affairs. Most of the people taking part in the survey knew some Maori or often heard Maori spoken either in the home or in the community. The Maori language was an important part, therefore, in the everyday lives of these people, and a lot of encouragement was given to younger members of the community to learn and to speak Maori as their rightful cultural inheritance.
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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