Maori is a shared main language of Aotearoa along with sign language and English. I work at Finlayson Park School, Manurewa where te reo Maori and other Pacifica languages are taught in Bilingual, Total Immersion and Main Stream Units.
Being able to speak your ethnic language is so important for identity and learning others languages and cultural ways expands the mind and hopefully leads to better understanding, empathy and caring for others.
Bringing Maori on an equal footing with English is so important and needs to be done to right the wrongs of the past.
Last but not least Maori is a beautiful language as is the concept of Tikanga Maori, Whakapapa and manaakitanga.
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