Matawaia is very much a Maori-speaking community. The people interviewed spoke Maori mostly outside of the home, with their neighbours, at work, for church services and, of course, in formal marae hui. If any two members of the community met unexpectedly, the chances that they would talk in Maori were very high, as 28 out of 29 people over the age of 15 were fluent speakers. If any two children between 2 and 14 were to meet, there was an even chance they could use Maori with each other. This means that there are quite a few younger children who do not speak Maori very well. If the number of these children continues to grow, the future of Maori in Matawaia will be less bright. At the time of the survey though, Matawaia was the leading Maori-speaking district in Northland.
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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