Over a third of kaumatua and adults spoke the language well, compared with only 2 out of 104 people under the age of 24. Many of the people we interviewed were really concerned about the drop in the number of people who spoke or knew Maori. Many people wanted the Maori language taught in local schools as a help to what parents were trying to do in the homes to prevent the total loss of the language in these communities. One person we spoke to said that things were already so bad that Maori should be made a compulsory subject in all schools.
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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