I whakaputahia tēnei ātikara e RNZ.
A Māori language advocate says the government’s move to prioritise English over te reo Māori in official branding sends a damaging message about the status of te reo in Aotearoa and risks undermining ongoing reo revitalisation efforts.
Earlier this week, the government updated its official branding to give greater prominence to English over te reo Māori, following a directive from new Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith.
The redesigned branding - which must be displayed on all agencies’ homepages - places “New Zealand Government” in bold above “Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa”, reversing the previous order.
The rebrand is one of a series of name changes agreed to by the coalition, including changes to Transport New Zealand, Waka Kotahi, Health New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora and changes to the New Zealand passport.
Te reo Māori advocate and ReoPol managing director Dr Vincent Olsen-Reeder (Tauranga Moana, Te Arawa) believes the shift sends a damaging message about te reo Māori and risks deepening social division.
“There has always been, in the English-speaking world, an economy that sells fear to people who aren’t quite sure,” he said.
“And it’s doing pretty well right now, especially because it’s not being very well controlled by government.”
Olsen-Reeder, who previously worked in academia and the public service before being made redundant last year, now runs two reo-focused businesses centred on teaching, policy and advocacy.
He said he had been aware of the proposed branding changes since February and had attempted to raise concerns before the policy was implemented.
“The first thing for me is, in my view, it could be unlawful,” he said.
Olsen-Reeder argued the government may have failed to meet consultation obligations under Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori 2016, which requires iwi and Māori to be consulted on matters relating to the Māori language.
“I’ve OIA’d everything I can think of, and lots of information has come back, but there’s nothing about consultation,” he said.
“So if that consultation hasn’t actually happened, then that would be unlawful based on that section of the Act.”
He also questioned whether placing English ahead of te reo Māori conflicted with obligations to actively promote the Māori language.
“The government is required to promote te reo Māori,” he said.
“So anything they do that detracts from the presence and use and promotion of te reo Māori, in my view, could transgress that part of the Act too.”
Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith rejected suggestions the changes diminished the status of te reo Māori.
“These characterisations are incorrect. No te reo Māori is being removed from any branding. The order is just being switched back to display English first,” he told RNZ.
RNZ asked Goldsmith whether iwi or Māori were consulted before the branding changes were implemented, but he did not directly answer the question.
Instead, he said the changes were part of a coalition agreement that “hadn’t been achieved” and that the government continued to invest in te reo Māori initiatives.
He said the changes reflected the fact “the vast majority of New Zealanders have English as their primary language”.
Olsen-Reeder raised concerns about the potential financial cost of rebranding government agencies during a period of public sector cuts and redundancies.
“This will cost millions,” he said.
“Wouldn’t an intelligent government simply not waste that money?”
When asked by RNZ how much the changes are expected to cost, Goldsmith did not say but said this change “comes at little to no cost.”
“Physical materials are only being updated progressively when required.”
The criticism comes as the Crown continues pursuing Maihi Karauna - its strategy for te reo Māori revitalisation - which aims to have one million New Zealanders speaking basic te reo Māori by 2040, alongside increasing the number of people who see the language as a key part of national identity.
Olsen-Reeder questioned whether the government’s latest move aligned with those goals.
“New Zealanders want te reo. New Zealanders love what it brings them. They love what it brings to their identity,” he said.
RNZ asked Māori Development and Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka whether he had been consulted on the branding changes before they were introduced, and whether he supported them.
In response, Potaka did not directly say whether he had been consulted or whether he personally supported the changes. Instead, he reiterated the government’s commitment to te reo Māori revitalisation through Maihi Karauna.
Potaka said the branding changes were intended to create “clearer and more consistent public-facing branding” and did not mean te reo Māori was “secondary or unimportant”.
“I recognise there will be a range of views on branding and naming conventions across the public sector. However, I do not accept that supporting clearer and more consistent public-facing branding means te reo Māori is secondary or unimportant.”
He said his focus was on “practical public services that are clear, understandable, and focused on delivery, while continuing to recognise the important place te reo Māori and Māori identity hold within New Zealand’s public life.”
‘Historic’ demand for te reo Māori
Olsen-Reeder said, despite his concerns, the demand for reo Māori classes and wānanga continued growing across the motu despite increasing political tension surrounding the language.
“We have never had more Māori learners than now. Every day is a historical moment.”
“Classes are packed,” he said.
“New Zealanders want more public signage in te reo Māori. They want access to more classes. They want more te reo heard and seen on the street.”
Olsen-Reeder said the growing normalisation of te reo Māori across homes, schools and communities continued to give him hope.
“Te reo is already a normal part of our lives,” he said.
“So just for us, it’s to keep going with that normality, to keep continuing communicating how we’re communicating.”
“A quiet celebration of normality.”
“Kia māhorahora te reo,” he said.
“Te reo Māori should be everywhere, shared every way, by everyone, every day.”
Nā Layla Bailey-McDowell nō RNZ.
