More than half the people surveyed in Ngapuke understood no Maori at the time of the linguistic survey. Kaumatua were worried that fewer and fewer people knew or used Maori in the area, especially among the younger people. Now that English was the main language spoken in most households they were worried Maori would soon die. Some people tried to blame this on their parents or grandparents, or on attempts to wipe out the language in the past. Half of them said they were punished for speaking Maori as school children. However, other people were doing their best to learn the language from elders in the community.
Manawatū-Whanganui | Ruapehu | 1970-75 | 5% of Māori children can speak te reo. (1970-75) | Story is by tangata whenua
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