The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association Te Wehengarua (PPTA) is marking Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in Aotearoa by reflecting on the “worsening shortage” of reo Māori teachers in secondary schools.
PPTA Māori vice president Te Aomihia Taua-Glassie said with this year’s theme being ‘Ake ake ake - a forever language’, Aotearoa needed to commit.
“If we are truly committed to te reo Māori as a forever language, ensuring it thrives for generations to come, we must invest in teachers of te reo Māori.
“Increasing numbers of institutions and organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand value te reo Māori and tikanga Māori and they are employing a lot of our highly skilled and experienced kaiako. Why wouldn’t kaiako move into these roles which often pay better salaries with more manageable workloads?”
She said the demand for Māori speakers was creating “significant gaps” in schools.
‘Immediate attention required’
“Our teacher supply surveys find that te reo Māori teacher vacancies are consistently among the highest of all subject area vacancies.
“The shortage of te reo Māori teachers is a crisis that demands immediate attention. We are calling on the government to develop a teaching workforce strategy that ensures sufficient numbers of kaiako fluent in te reo Māori are trained, recruited and retained in our kura,” Taua-Glassie said.
She called for the government to help with the shortages.
“As part of the government’s responsibility to toitū te Tiriti o Waitangi, it needs to actively nurture te reo Māori.
“Addressing the shortage of teachers of te reo Māori teachers is essential to fulfilling this obligation and supporting the revitalisation of this official language of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The PPTA shared a whakataukī in relation to the kaupapa: “Tē tōia, tē haumatia”
“Nothing can be achieved without a plan”
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka has been asked for comment.