The Māori language petition
Te petihana reo Māori
- When
- 14 September 1972
- Where
- Parliament, Wellington · Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Reach
- Nationwide
Ngā Tamatoa and Te Reo Māori Society delivered a 30,000-signature petition asking for te reo to be taught in schools. The date is now Māori Language Day.
By 1972 fewer than a fifth of Māori could speak the language conversationally, after generations of children punished for using it at school. The petition led to Māori language teaching in schools, then to kōhanga reo from 1982, kura kaupapa from 1985, and official language status in 1987. Te reo remains endangered, but the reversal of its decline dates from this petition.
Regions affected
Sources
Written for this project from these references rather than copied from them. Follow a link to check the account against the original.
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Parliament, Wellington