Exploring the future of te reo

The contemporary and future state of te reo Māori is the focus of a new book, The Value of The Māori Language: Te Hua o te Reo Māori.

The book is a product of Te Kura Roa, a research programme co-led by Victoria and Otago Universities. The programme quickly identified that Māori language literature and research has waned since the language received official status in 1987, says Professor Rawinia Higgins, head of school at Te Kawa a Māui and one of the book’s editors.

Key commentators on Māori language revitalisation contributed chapters, including five current (and one former) Victoria University staff members and nine Victoria alumni.

With chapters in Māori and English, the book explores recent actions taken to restore the Māori language and challenges ideas about where language revitalisation must head to ensure the language is normalised in our society.