And from physical abuse to another topical issue -
abusing others for their reo Maori proficiency.
Joining Te Karere live from Wellington
is the CEO of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, Ngahiwi Apanui.
Happy New Year.
Is our language being attacked?
First we need to understand;
Let's look at the woman who was attacked for speaking Maori -
I was the act of a lone attacker,
it happened outside a liquor licenced establishment,
so there were many factors at play here.
There was anger, male on female assault and racism.
So I don't agree that our language is under attack,
but we do need to allow everyone in our country to speak Maori,
be they Pakeha, Chinese or Maori.
We should all be speaking Maori.
Is this a sign that people can be punished for speaking Maori,
even in this day and age?
As I see it,
it's a sign of ignorance to the definition of Maori.
There are those with light hair and green eyes, like my daughter,
like many of my relations.
I have nephews and nieces
with blonde hair and blue eyes who are Maori.
Relations I grew up with,
we would never call them Pakeha for fear of retribution,
and this shows that the modern face of Maoridom cannot be generalised.
Is society regressing back to the past to a time
when our grandparents and parents were hit for speaking Maori?
There are those who believe that only Maori should speak Maori,
but Te Taura Whiri believes that the whole country
should be speaking Maori without exception.
The Waitangi Tribunal ruled so in 1986.
It is a gift to b treasured by all. As I said before,
you don't have to be brown to speak Maori,
the whole country should be speaking it.
Do events like these put a setback on your work to normalise the reo?
What's your strategy for the language this year?
As you know, this year, Te Mataawai will be implemented.
It will be their job
to represent the iwi and Maori communities
before the government.
That is the mission they are charged with.
As for Te Taura Whiri, we aim to promote the language.
We've not abandoned the people, but under new laws,
by February-March, that will be our new charge.
We'll be promoting the language, encouraging all people,
no matter who they may be, to keep the language alive.
Do you agree with the purpose of Te Mataawai?
Yes, I do, because our iwi should have representation
before the government so that they have a say.
Te Taura Whiri is there to support Te Mataawai
and work with them to return the language to its former glory.
Ngahiwi Apanui, thank you for speaking with us.