Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori Māori Language Bill - Amendment paper No 165
Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori Māori Language Bill - Amendment paper No 165
Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori Māori Language Bill - Amendment paper No 165
No 165
House of Representatives
Supplementary Order Paper
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori Māori Language Bill
Proposed amendments
Hon Nanaia Mahuta, in Committee, to move the following amendments:
New cross-heading and new clauses 3A and 3B
After clause 3 (page 30, after line 12), insert:
Summary of historical events and apology of the Crown
3A Summary of historical events
(1)
The Native Schools Act 1867 and subsequent government policies had the aim of assimilating Māori into European culture by teaching only the English language in the state school system.
(2)
The degradation and loss of the Māori language had a severe impact for more than a century on the identity and capacity of Māori to uphold their customs, tradition, and beliefs.
(3)
Recognition of Māori as an official language by the Māori Language Act 1987 was a step towards wider recognition of te reo Māori, but could not redress the damage done to the status of the language.
3B Apology
The Crown apologises to Iwi Māori for the detrimental affects its policies have caused to successive generations and seeks to preserve, revitalise, and grow te reo Māori as a partner to Te Tiriti o Waitangi the Treaty of Waitangi.
Explanatory note
This Supplementary Order Paper proposes to amend the Bill by inserting new clauses 3A and 3B to set out the context for an apology by the Crown to Iwi Māori. New clause 3A makes provision for the recognition of the impact of the Native Schools Act 1867 and subsequent government policy. This led to the degradation of the Māori language and the systemic loss of customs, tradition, and identity. New clause 3B includes an apology on behalf of the Crown and an ongoing commitment as a Treaty partner to uphold its obligation to protect the language and participate in its ongoing revitalisation and growth. These clauses do not prevent the Crown from including specific apologies to Iwi within the context of the Treaty Settlement process, it does however provide an overarching context for the partnership model proposed in the Bill.