At the time of the survey, the interviewers wrote down only a few things that were said about the future of the Māori language. However, from later talks with several people from Waimana, they learnt that the Maori language may not last much longer in Waimana. Although, in 1974, there were many adults who spoke Maori well, only three out of 60 school children included in the survey could speak the language fluently. (Nearly half of them, however, understood the language well.) Some of the people we spoke to after the survey said that many people were doing their best to encourage their children to speak Maori so that it will survive as a living language in Waimana, and not just as a language for special occasions.
Source: Read the full NZCER report here
Te Moana-ā-Toi | Bay of Plenty | Whakatāne | 1970-79 | Story is by tangata whenua
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