He tuatahitanga te Pire mō Te Reo Māori (Reo Māori Bill breaks new ground)

Ko te Pire mō Te Reo Māori, i whakatakotoria ki mua i te aroaro o te Whare Paremata i tēnei rangi, e whakamanatia ai reo Māori mai, reo Pākehā mai hoki, ā, ko te reo Māori tērā ka tino whāia.

Koinei te wā tuatahi i te hitori o Niu Tireni ka tino whāia tā te reo Māori putanga ā-ture, kaua ko tā te reo Ingarihi putanga.

“He tuatahitanga tēnei, ā, ka tū whakaiti au, hei Minita Whanaketanga Māori, ki te kawe atu i tēnei Pire reorua ki tōna mutunga i roto i te Whare Paremata. Tika tonu ko te Pire mō Te Reo Māori te ture tuatahi ka tino whāia te reo Māori,” te kōrero a te Minita Whanaketanga Māori, a Te Ururoa Flavell.

“Kua noho te reo Māori hei reo whai mana ā-ture mai i te tau 1987, engari he maha tonu ngā reanga o tō tātou porihanga kāore i te kitea, kāore hoki i te rangona te reo.

“Ākuanei ka pānuitia te Pire mō tōna wā tuarua, ā, ka whakapuakina tētahi huarahi hou e mahi tahi ai te Karauna me ngāi Māori ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori. Mā te whakature ki ngā reo e rua e whakaatu ai ngā taumata ka taea te whakatutuki ina ka mau tonu tātou ki te whakamahi i te reo Māori i roto i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te oranga o te tangata,” tā Minita Flavell kōrero.

He mea here te whakawhāitihia o tētahi rōpū mātanga reo, mātanga ture hoki, hei tuhi i te Pire ki ngā reo e rua. Kua mahi ngā kaiwhakawhiti reo ā-tuhi me ngā roia kōrero Māori kia tūturu ai ka hāngai tā te reo Māori putanga ki tā te reo Ingarihi putanga horopaki ā-ture.

“He whakapātari hou tēnei ki te tari ture o te Whare Paremata e whai haepapatanga ana ki te tito, ki te whakaputa hoki i ngā ture a te Kāwanatanga o Niu Tireni (arā, ko te Parliamentary Counsel Office), ki a Te Puni Kōkiri hoki, ki te rōpū whakawhiti reo ā-tuhi hoki. Ka mihi au ki a rātou mō te rawe o tā rātou mahi,” te kī a Minita Flavell.

Tirohia www.tpk.govt.nz kia kite atu ai i tētahi kape whakahounga o te Pire mō Te Reo Māori.

Reo Māori Bill breaks new ground

The Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, tabled back in Parliament today, is to be enacted in both te reo Māori and English with the Māori language text prevailing.

This is the first time in New Zealand’s history that a Māori language version of a statute will prevail over the English one.

“It is ground-breaking, and I am incredibly humbled that I am the Minister taking this dual language Bill through its final stages in Parliament. It is fitting that the first law where te reo Māori prevails is the Māori Language Bill,” says Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell.

“Māori has been an official language since 1987 but there are still many areas of our society where it is rarely seen or heard.

“The Bill, which will have its second reading soon, introduces a new way of the Crown and Māori working together on te reo Māori revitalisation. Having it passed in both languages shows what can be achieved when we make a commitment to use te reo Māori in all spheres of our lives,” says Mr Flavell.

The writing of the bill in both languages has required a team of language and legal experts. Certified translators and Māori-speaking lawyers have been working on the Bill to ensure that te reo Māori version aligns with the legal context of the English version.

“It has been a new challenge for the Parliamentary Counsel Office, which is responsible for drafting and publishing New Zealand Government legislation, Te Puni Kōkiri and the translation team. I congratulate them on a job well done,” says Mr Flavell.

To view a revised copy of the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill, go to www.tpk.govt.nz