Yes

I believe it would bring the people of our country closer, more open-minded and better able to empathise.

Te Reo Māori is an opportunity for personal growth and cultural enrichment. It can open doors to careers, enhance travel experiences, and foster community connections. Learning this language supports reconciliation and contributes to the preservation of a valuable cultural heritage. Proficiency in Te Reo Māori offers educational benefits, promotes cultural competence, and celebrates one's identity while being a fun and rewarding journey of self-discovery.

The british colonized New Zealand for ma y years. Their influence almost wiped out the maori culture. Its time to redeem their culture.

In France they speak French, in China they speak Manadarin and Cantonese, in England they speak English. In Aotearoa, one should have some, even minimal knowledge of te reo.

Colonisation has created more damage than good and it's important that moving forward we acknowledge the wrongs of the past and embrace and normalise te reo in Aotearoa.

All schools teach history or somewhat talk about the treaty of waitangi or significant places in New Zealand, therefore if these important topics are being taught in school why isn’t maori an important subject for young people of New Zealand to learn. Its not about becoming fluent in maori although that would be a huge benefit, its about enforcing the native language of the country so young students learn the basics.

the whites showed up forced us to speak their language took our land and took away our language so why cant they now learn ours

Recognizing the Maori language and culture will go a long way to a better future with more understanding and integration of lifestyle through both cultures.

It’s the history and culture of the country that the child is living in so I think it’s important for them to know history on their own country especially when I’m school you learn a lot of history of other countries so why not their own.

Growing / developing brains have many benefits to learning and being fluent in more than one language.

This is just one way we show we value Māori, and it is about time things were done to make up for the inhumane and unjust treatment int he past. Why are we even debating this?

I don't want to become like other colonised countries eg. Australia, USA who do very little to promote indigenous languages.

Te Reo Māori was stripped from it's people and was on the brink of extinction. From the 1900s to 1970 there was a huge decline in te reo māori. Since the 1970's the Mātātoa activists group gave the language a a chance to be revived and restored to it's people. In 2018, The number of people that speak Te Reo Māori was at a high of 185,955 and increasing.

Aotearoa was home for Maori well before the arrival of Europeans. It is completely unfair to neglect and underappreciate the importance of Maori history. Te Reo should be celebrated and spoken throughout the country.

Look at europe, Asia, America's, then look at Australasia, are we and Australia want to be the with the few that can only speak English?

Non-Maaori have inequalities in all areas of society (health, education, occupation positions, salary, housing, criminality) which need to be amended to be fair and equitable. Oppression and racism is dehumanising and must stop. The Te Ao Maaori worldview is beautiful and wonderful and everyone can learn to be better people knowing its beautiful qualities.

The revitilasiation of Te reo Māori is strong and a taonga to Māori, it should be honored and protected as promised in the treaty.

Te Reo is the true language of Aotearoa, and colonisation tried to wipe it out. It is a fair action to pro-actively affirm the language back to the people. And of course it has been well studied and documented it is beneficial for the brain to learn more than one language so plus plus

We lose nothing and gain more with having te reo maori as a whole
Nation. Imagine our whole country being able to converse and share in te reo Māori be it verbally or and by sign language.
It would right a lot of wrongs that continue to be dealt.
For those who dont want this in this country have a choice to live where only English is taught. Simple!

How many sports teams in New Zealand have a haka, how often do we acknowledge our maori heritage on the world stage?
Why would you not on a basic level want to learn some of what our country is celebrated for?
Yes, I am New Zealand European.

It’s the history and culture of the country. In Aotearoa, one should have some knowledge and understanding of te reo

It is about ensuring like any language that Ithaca place and should you choose to reside here, you should be required yes.

Learning te reo gives purpose and meaning to who we are as Māori. Allowing our tamariki that opportunity to learn will increase their identity

For someone whose natural languague would be Māori, but for colonialisation, to be blocked from it by legislation or custom, is plainly wrong. Future New Zealanders being bi- or multi-lingual can only lead to smarter, more worldly citizens.

There are many different races that live in New Zealand not one has the right to force their culture onto others. Happy for them to grow Te Reo amongst their own or any one who chooses to.

For allot of kiwis it isn't apart of thier culture, and currently it is well over promoted in not only schools and almost forced as it is.

Social, professional and scientific journals and or educational resources. No one reference is really needed here.

When we learn different languages we develop our brains and we should encourage that no matter what language it is. It's a bonus if we are fluent when we leave school and if not we got to experience the amazing culture and feel connected to our land.

It doesn't mean we have to teach to a high level, but I think everyone who is sane, and rational will agree that it would be sad and a great loss if we lost the language altogether. So keeping it in as compulsory but open to the teaching and student input is a wise thing. Even if it is wrong there is no serious negative consequence, but if we lose the language as a result of leaving it out of schools, there could be many harmful and sad ramifications.

Te Reo Māori is at an all time low with fluent speakers and if we don’t make it compulsory then it’ll eventually die out

Language study has been proven to improve overall cognitive performance, e.g. in studies of people affected by dementia. And it is linked to greater cultural open mindedness.

Since 2018 we did have a significant increase in speakers of Te Reo Māori, we’ve gone from 24% of people speaking to 30%. However this is still only around 250,000 people in a country of 5 Million. We don’t want to force out any other languages or even English we are simply asking to have Te Reo Māori as a mandatory language in schools. So many people still don’t understand the language, my great grandparents made the decision to completely cut teaching Te Reo to their kids because of how they were being treated for it and as a result my nan died without knowing her mother…  Read more tongue and her siblings have to learn about our ways and our language late in life. My mother can’t teach her child cause she herself doesn’t know and I am left trying to fight for my future children to have a chance at knowing their culture from the minute they’re born and all throughout their life.

English is compulsory because a history of violent colonialism. Te Reo Maori is the indigenous language of Aotearoa and should be learned by all New Zealanders.

Well, we learn English here in Aotearoa and it’s not native to this land, why not learn a language that is native to this land so people can get some understanding of the Māori

There is only 16.5% of Māori and 70% English / European. Children should be able to choose if they want to learn Māori just like if they want to learn French or Spanish etc. Māori has been shoved down our throats and everything has been given to the Māori to destroy. When it was under the crown, everyone had access and now it has been given to the Māori, only Māori are allowed access.

Ita not the language rather the amount of Maori mythology being embedded in subjects where it doesn’t logically make sense that is getting crazy. No other cultures beliefs are being integrated in such a way. Anyone saying it’s not religious is dishonest or deluded. Karakias multiple times a day etc. We are suffering from group think and social movements that empower minority groups as some sort of justice for past wrongs, this has started overseas and become mainstream in many places. Now it’s being taught as the correct way to think. There is a risk in being submissive to…  Read more those who have felt dominated. Meeting in the middle rather than all out capitulation will lead to a healthier future. It’ll probably take a generation for people to figure that out. By then the worlds actual problems (environmental) will be of much greater concern.

Back in 1903 Māori children were punished for speaking their own language at a school in their own country.