Is Maori gaining or losing ground today?
A13. This is a difficult question to answer. There has been a continual increase in Maori language revitalization efforts since the 1960s. Many people have learnt Maori as a second language through universities, polytechnics, and other organisations. There are no reliable data on the Maori language competency of graduates of Maori bilingual/immersion programmes and second language learners. It is unknown whether graduates of such programmes will continue to speak Maori amongst themselves, to other speakers of Maori, and whether or not they will speak Maori to their children.
