Government defends compulsory Maori basics programme

A proposed Maori basics programme to be launched this year will not make te reo compulsory for teachers, Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples said.

Tataiako, a school-based cultural competency programme, is expected to be formally launched this year.

Dr Sharples mentioned the programme yesterday after receiving a Maori Youth Council report that recommended introducing compulsory te reo tertiary study for secondary school teachers to improve their ability to communicate effectively with Maori students.

He said the programme would do away with Te Kotahitanga, a current professional development programme to help teachers relate to Maori students.

"It's a way of training teachers, and involving them in the community, and teaching the Maori concept of teaching and learning."

However, the minister was forced to defend the planned programme today after education groups criticised the idea of compulsory te reo lessons for teachers.

Secondary Principals' Association president Patrick Walsh said not all teachers would want to learn Maori, and that there were already a number of course requirements for teachers, including for technology, to counter bullying and for NCEA and National Standards.

The primary teachers union, New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), was supportive, but questioned where extra funding for the project would come from.

NZEI president Ian Leckie said it was good to see te reo competency being recognised as a core part of a teacher's role.

"What teachers and schools will need, however, is solid resourcing and ongoing professional development. It's important that any training in te reo and tikanga Maori is backed up by regular opportunities for teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills in the classroom."

In a statement this afternoon, Dr Sharples said the programme would be phased in with a view to mandating the competencies in future, but that they would not be a requirement from the outset.

"It is not correct to say that Tataiako will make Maori language compulsory for all teachers," he said.

"However, I think one outcome of Tataiako is likely to be more use of te reo Maori in schools, as it is on National Radio, for example, in Parliament, and in many other aspects of New Zealand life."

Dr Sharples said instead of ongoing in-service training, Tataiako would aim to give basic teacher training that equipped all teachers to teach Maori learners effectively.

"Tataiako simply makes explicit for Maori what all learners and their families would expect from professionally trained teachers."