Most people were worried that so few people could speak Maori in the area it could die out altogether. Some people thought there was little hope that Maori would ever again become a language for everyday use in the home and community. Maori was best suited for ceremonies on the marae. Many of them were brought up in homes where parents spoke only Maori to each other, and mainly English to the children. Now that they were parents, they were very sorry and even ashamed at not being able to speak Maori and teach it to their own children. Many of them wanted Maori language and culture taught in schools, especially at the primary level. Some people had an idea that the teaching was poor, because their children had learnt only a few words of greeting. Some parents could sing action songs but without understanding the words, and because they continued to pronounce local place names wrongly. A few people believed that Maori had to be learned and spoken in the home first, and they were going to courses at night school, on local marae, or in private homes to get to know the language better.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington | Masterton | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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