Northlanders in the public service have called the government’s suggestion to can extra pay for servants proficient in te reo Māori “disappointing”.
Public Service Minister Nicola Willis said last week the government would prevent further bonuses being negotiated for te reo Māori proficiency but has since softened her comments, stating they will only be removed in circumstances where they’re “not relevant”.
Willis told 1News reporters on Tuesday the government would uphold all employment clauses in existing contracts.
It is not yet known what cuts and where will occur. Currently, more than a dozen state agencies pay te reo allowances that start at $500 and top out at $3500 a year, RNZ reported.
A total of 21 departments and ministries showed two-thirds had allowances negotiated in their collective pay deals, including the Ministry of Justice, Education, Corrections and Environment.
Former Māori Language Commission chief executive Haami Piripi (Te Rarawa) said bonuses have always been driven by a need within the community.
The action to remove them took the country back 50 years, he said.
“It’s an unconscious drive by the culturally inept to extinguish this weak point.”
Piripi said in most cases the payments were “very minor” but continued to allow a mechanism for the “revitalisation” of reo Māori. Using the language in the public service space, he explained, was the “secret to achieving effectiveness” when working with Māori communities.
“It’s a travesty and it’s been incremented by people who should know better. I’m just disappointed.”
Piripi said Te Tai Tokerau is one of the last regions, alongside Tairāwhiti, that still speaks Maōri as a first language.
However, he said it’s a “dying breed” that needs to be fostered.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarere teacher and NZEI Te Riu Roa member Tuhitaare Nohotima said the idea of slashing allowances for te reo Māori “cuts deep”.
Nohotima has been immersed in the world of te reo since birth.
The Moerewa teacher has an ability to provide relevance through Māori storytelling.
“If a child is upset I will refer back to their particular ancestor leading back to their particular gods to make them feel better.
“One of the main contributions to being Māori is having the ability to access information and access memories for you to use it as a platform and as a means of moving into the future.”
Last week Act leader David Seymour told Waatea News that funds for professional development might belong in the te reo Māori area but not in mainstream schools.
“But if it’s purely as a blanket thing when perhaps that teacher has no intention of ever teaching te reo or working in a Māori medium environment then I’d question whether that’s the best use of their time or anyone’s resources,” he said.
Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association chairperson Pat Newman said Seymour shows a “total misunderstanding of reality”.
“He questions the point of paying such allowances to teachers in the mainstream but he doesn’t get the point that 90 to 95 per cent of Māori students are in mainstream,” Newman said.
The Advocate contacted relevant ministers for comment but did not hear back by edition time.
-NZME