Some people also expressed the wish that their own children learn Maori. One woman who knew no Maori although her parents had both been fluent speakers, said that she wanted her children to learn Maori so that they would not be the same as her. Maori was the first language understood by about one third of our informants and was the language two fifths preferred to use for everyday conversation. Several others who could not speak Maori said that they wished they could. The parents of some of these people had both been fluent speakers of Maori but had not taught their children the language. A few people deeply regretted this fact.
Te Matau-a-Māui | Hawke’s Bay | Hastings | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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