Maori was the first language understood by about half the people interviewed. However, many people said they forgot how to speak Maori once they started school because no one else there spoke Māori or because they were forbidden by the teachers to do so. A large number of people who were brought up by their grandparents lost the ability to speak Maori when the grandparents died as they had to move to an environment, perhaps with their parents in town, where English was the main language spoken.
Waikato | Hamilton City | 1970-75 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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