It’s a common find in Facebook comment sections and even some grandparents’ hot takes, with open hostility toward the use of te reo Māori an experience many face in Aotearoa.
From Dame Naida Glavish’s 1984 protest that inspired a nationwide discussion, to more recent cases involving employees, politicians and members of the public, te reo Māori is often under scrutiny.
Just two days ago, a Health NZ worker claimed her supervisor told her to stop using reo Māori greetings and signoffs in work emails.
But the argument isn’t one-sided. In 2023, veteran politician Maurice Williamson made a complaint at Auckland Council over staff putting up posters promoting te reo Māori and “decolonisation” actions for non-Māori Kiwis.
He declared the posters were a “waste of taxpayer money”, and “blatantly political”.
If this sounds uncomfortably familiar, what can you do if a supervisor recommends or orders you to stop using one of New Zealand’s official languages?
What does the law say?
Employment lawyer Sarah Cates said it is required under common law that employees follow “lawful” and “reasonable” managerial direction. However, for many workplaces, discouraging the use of or banning te reo Māori goes against company policy, or code of conduct.
“It is highly questionable whether [a] manager’s instruction to not to use ‘kia ora’ and ‘ngā mihi’ in emails would be one the employee would have to follow,” she said.
“The manager’s instruction may have been a breach of the employer’s Code of Conduct or similar, which could result in disciplinary action being taken against the manager, for example, a written warning.”
So should a manager be written up for telling staff to stop using te reo?
Not necessarily. Cates said rather than taking a punitive approach, employers could use the situation as an educational opportunity.
Such an approach could include issuing a letter of expectation to the manager or asking them to undertake cultural training, she said.
“If the employer’s position with regards to the use of greetings in te reo Māori in the workplace is unclear, it would be wise for the employer to communicate expectations and/or offer cultural training to all staff.”
But why is te reo so important?
Because te reo Māori is a protected taonga, says Julia Whaipooti, who is the Human Rights Commission tatau-urutahi tino rangatiratanga/shared leader.
“Te reo Māori is a taonga that is protected under article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding human rights documents,” she said.
“Te reo Māori is also an official language of Aotearoa which further protects this right.”
It was almost 15 years after Ngā Tamatoa presented a 30,000-signature petition to Parliament calling for te reo Māori to be taught in schools, that the bill making te reo Māori an official language, introduced by then Māori Affairs minister Koro Wētere, became the Māori Language Act 1987.
That act was repealed in 2016 when Te Ururoa Flavell, who was Māori Affairs minister and Māori Party co-leader at the time, completely reshaped the law.
In Flavell’s act, Te Ture Mō Te Reo Māori 2016, the Government acknowledged te reo as a “taonga” and that it had an obligation to protect it, as per Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Where do you go if no one will listen?
“If anyone is told to stop using te reo Māori at work, they can contact the commission. We offer a free and confidential information and dispute resolution service,” Whaipooti said.
“We can also help with questions about human rights issues, and complaints about other forms of discrimination, sexual harassment, racial harassment, conversion practices, harmful speech, and more. Our service is guided by tikanga and aims to be accessible to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
What do the statistics say?
New Zealanders are getting better at speaking te reo Māori and are more supportive of its use in day-to-day life, according to data from Stats NZ.
Data from 2021 General Social Survey (GSS) showed that the ability of New Zealanders (aged 15 and over) to speak te reo Māori in day-to-day conversation had improved.
Since 2018, the proportion of people able to speak more than a few words or phrases of te reo Māori rose from 24% to 30%. This follows a previous, smaller, rise between 2016 and 2018.
The proportion of people able to speak te reo Māori at least fairly well also increased, from 6.1% in 2018 to 7.9% in 2021 – the first time a significant increase in this level of te reo Māori proficiency has been observed from GSS data.
