$34.6m boost for te reo Māori

Budget 2016 provides $34.6 million of operating funding over four years to support the revitalisation of te reo Māori across key Māori language initiatives.

The new funding provides all New Zealanders with access to more te reo Māori - a great advance for the Māori language, Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell says.

“The funding will enable whānau, hapū and iwi to play a greater leadership role in the design and planning of initiatives that makes a real difference to the revitalisation of the Māori language,” Mr Flavell says.

The funding includes $12 million to support the establishment and operations of Te Mātāwai, the new Crown entity to be set up under Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori 2016.

A further $12 million is also set aside for Te Reo Māori Whānau and Community planning. This will allow whānau, hapū and iwi to develop Māori language strategies within their communities, a key objective of Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori 2016.

Māori Television will receive $10.6 million to reach a wider audience via high-definition broadcasting on multiple platforms.

“The gains made through Budget 2016 demonstrate the wider commitment that the Government is making towards the revitalisation of te reo Māori, a taonga for all of Aotearoa,” Mr Flavell says.