'There’s just not enough speakers of Maori'

Lisa Rodgers.
Lisa Rodgers.
More needs to be done to promote Maori as a subject and Maori educators need to be encouraged to move to rural centres such as North Otago, says a leading educator.

Waitaki Boys’ High School rector Clive Rennie wants Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu to review the difficult situation schools find themselves in not having fluent speakers of te reo as teachers.

"If they believe in the importance of language, which I know they do, for them to try and see how they can assist in attracting teachers who are fluent speakers."

At present, some schools are reliant on either correspondence or video-conferencing to  deliver the subject through all year levels, but this method of teaching cut out the valuable interaction with a teacher that would really give the language a boost.

"There’s just not enough speakers of Maori."

He said the issue of trying to find fluent te reo teachers wasn’t  restricted to the rural sector.

Tangiwai Rewi.
Tangiwai Rewi.
It was a nationwide problem.

"Schools have always struggled to get really good teachers of Maori ... they’re just not there, but particularly in the South."

Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Te Reo Programme leader Paulette Tamati-Elliffe said the issues raised by Mr Rennie were not new.

"Ngai Tahu is working extremely hard to grow more fluent speakers so that te reo is a living language.

"For our part we provide numerous grants, initiatives and programmes to support whanau through their language journey, including support of a bilingual programme through our tertiary partners and scholarships for those looking to become teachers.

"We commend schools that are making every effort to resource Maori language development and travelling our path to secure the future of te reo Maori."

University of Otago Te Tumu School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies senior lecturer and co-ordinator for Maori Studies Tangiwai Rewi said to fill teaching positions, communities would have to identify people early for those roles and encourage them to take up teaching as their career.

She said there were no quick fix solutions to the staff shortages.

Ministry of Education head of early learning and student achievement Lisa Rodgers said if schools were having difficulty recruiting teachers, the ministry would be happy to offer extra assistance with the hiring process.

The three Oamaru secondary schools have also discussed sharing a teacher and further collaborative solutions may develop.

"We do know that nationally there is ongoing pressure on the supply of Maori immersion and te reo Maori teachers.

"That’s why we have funded a total of 395 scholarships for these teachers.

"These are substantial scholarships, covering not just course costs and fees, but also a range of allowances to help with the costs while studying.

"We also provide professional development and support to help beginning teachers in Maori immersion through the initial stages of a teaching career, and fund study for Maori immersion and bilingual teachers to lift their language skills and leadership."

shannon.gillies@odt.co.nz

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