A fairly high proportion of the household heads we interviewed (more than 50% in Ruatoria, 40% in Hiruharama and Aohanga) said they had been beaten at school for speaking Maori. Several people mentioned that when they were children English was banned at home, and Maori was banned at school. People from four different families in Ruatoria thought that today's parents were far too easy-going by allowing their children to speak English at home - although one of these admitted that she herself spoke to her mokopuna in English so that they could understand her. On the other hand, two kuia, one in Hiruharama and one in Tikitiki said that they found it much easier to speak Maori and so they always talked in Maori to their mokopuna.
Te Tai Rāwhiti | Gisborne | Matakaoa-Waiapu | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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