One person mentioned that in his school days he had been punished for speaking Maori, and so he avoided te reo as much as possible as a child. Altogether 14 had been punished in some way, and 10 others said there had been rules or other discouragements against speaking Maori when they were at school. Quite a few people were looking to the schools and other community institutions to help change this situation, for themselves as well as their children. One person in Marton had joined a Maori culture club mainly to get an opportunity to learn the language, and one of the people we interviewed in Taihape expressed the hope that the survey would show that there was a demand for night classes for adults in that district.
Manawatū-Whanganui | Rangitīkei | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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