About our strategy

Tau Mai Te Reo – The Māori language in education strategy 2013-2017 (Tau Mai Te Reo) expresses what the Ministry of Education and education sector agencies will do for learners of Māori language in Education.

Māori language in education includes Māori medium education and Māori language in English medium. The Māori and English language versions of Tau Mai Te Reo, and their summaries, are available to download at the bottom of this page.

Tau Mai Te Reo states that activity to support Māori language in education must be deliberate, comprehensive and focused on gathering information and reporting on it appropriately. Line of sight to the learner and the quality of the Māori language in education experience will be fundamental to success.

Why we have a Māori language in education strategy

The responsibility for the revival of Māori language is shared between Māori and the Crown. Māori language cannot be secured by the efforts of one party alone. It depends on the ability of both sides to cooperate, participate and contribute.

Tau Mai Te Reo has been developed to ensure there's a connected and cohesive approach to education contributions that support and strengthen the Māori language. The Ministry of Education and education sector agencies have obligations, as Crown agencies, to actively protect Māori language as a taonga guaranteed under the Treaty of Waitangi.

The vision for Tau Mai Te Reo is ‘Kia tau te reo – Supporting Māori language in education: delivering strong, coordinated effort and investment’. Tau Mai Te Reo is vital to ensure the Māori language is valued, appropriately considered, and prioritised in education.

Tau Mai Te Reo:

• creates the conditions for learners to enjoy and achieve education and Māori language outcomes
• supports the coordination of effort across Māori language in education activity in the Ministry of Education and across education sector agencies
• provides a framework for better Government investment in Māori language in education over the next 5 years.

What ‘Māori language in education’ is

Māori language in education includes both Māori medium education and Māori language in English medium settings. The streams are distinct and deliver varying language outcomes for learners.

Why high quality ‘Māori language in education’ is important

High quality Māori language in education is important because it:

• supports identity, language and culture as critical, but not exclusive, ingredients for the success of all learners
• provides all Māori learners the opportunity they need to realise their unique potential and to succeed as Māori
• gives expression to the national curriculum documents for early learning, primary and secondary schooling, which recognise the importance of te reo and tikanga Māori for Aotearoa New Zealand
• supports community and iwi commitments to Māori language intergenerational transmission and language survival.

Who Tau Mai Te Reo is aimed at

Tau Mai Te Reo is for all Ministry staff and education sector agencies that are responsible for, and work in, Māori language in education. The focus areas, priority actions and targets within Tau Mai Te Reo apply across all parts of the education sector — early learning, primary, secondary and tertiary.

Although Tau Mai Te Reo is an internal Ministry and education sector agency strategy, information from this strategy can inform parents, whānau, iwi, communities and education providers on the current state and future direction of Māori language in education.

How the strategy aligns with Ka Hikitia

Māori language in education is a key focus area of Ka Hikitia — Accelerating Success 2013-2017. Ka Hikitia — Accelerating Success reaffirms the outcomes of Tau Mai Te Reo, that all learners have access to high quality Māori language in education. Tau Mai Te Reo informs and supports the Māori language in education related elements within Ka Hikitia — Accelerating Success.