In the past, a great deal of misinformation about the Māori language was put about. As a result people that spoke Māori were sometimes subjected to some ill-informed and misguided policies and decisions.
There were many instances where Māori speakers were disadvantaged by these misguided policies and decisions. The best known example was the active discouragement of the Māori language in New Zealand primary schools and playcentres for many years. This also had a subsequent carry-over effect into some Māori homes and communities, where Māori parents stopped passing on their language to their children because they had been told that it would be a handicap to the children's future. This is the best-known example, but there are a number of other examples in different sections of New Zealand society.
All in all, the misinformation and misguided policies created a negative environment for the Māori language. It is difficult for a language to flourish and grow in such a discouraging environment.
On the other hand, the Māori Language Commission believes that if the majority of New Zealanders and New Zealand institutions have generally positive attitudes to the Māori language, based on accurate and up-to-date information, this is likely to reinforce positive attitudes among Māori speakers and encourage them to make greater use of the language.
Unfortunately, some misinformation about the Māori language still crops up in debate and discussion. With your help, we would like to lay some of these myths to rest among our future generations.
