There is no doubt that the Maori language in Whakaki will be completely lost if something is not done soon. In 1978, only the adults and kaumatua could speak Maori fluently. Many of them had to speak English in the home and community, as most people in Whakaki could not carry on a conversation in Maori. Most of the older people in the survey were worried that fewer and fewer people knew or spoke Maori in Whakaki.
Te Matau-a-Māui | Hawke’s Bay | Wairoa | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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