One man told us he blamed the Education Department for the decline of the Maori language because of the punishment children received in schools for speaking Maori, while one woman told us that Maori in schools was a good idea - ''it will be more use than French, especially for Maori kids." Many of the people we spoke to expressed concern about the state of the Maori language and commented that they would like their own children to learn to speak Maori. Because of this, there was a great deal of support for the introduction of the teaching of Maori into schools. One woman in her 80s told us she had been a supporter of this all her life.
Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland | Auckland | 1970-79 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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