Over 30,000 people from nearly 6,500 wh�nau were surveyed

In 1973 Dr Richard Benton began a sociolinguistic survey of te reo M�ori that led to turning point in the fate of the language. The survey was the first project undertaken by NZCER’s newly-established M�ori Research Unit, Te W�hanga Kaupapa M�ori. The survey became known as the Benton report, and continues to be a reference point for sociolinguistic researchers. Dr Benton wanted to know the place of te reo M�ori in schools and communities, and how the education system could ensure that it flourished.  The survey was designed to answer two questions: who can speak M�ori, and who does speak M�ori?

The survey gathered information from 33,338 individuals in 6,470 wh�nau throughout the North Island. The interviews were done kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) and with no dedicated funding, it was a lean operation. Over the six years of data gathering, more than 10 public and private sector organisations gave grants that enabled it to continue region by region. No funding was ever secured for the overview report, but the team honoured its commitment to report back to the communities and produced the  that are now available online.

Te W�hanga continues to focus on te reo M�ori

In 2016 Te Taura Whiri I te Reo M�ori commissioned Te W�hanga to do research that would identify progress, barriers, and opportunities that bring about the regeneration of te reo M�ori. That project revisited some of the communities that Dr Benton’s team had surveyed some 40 years before. Their reports, gathered as , paint a more positive picture of the language.

The post Te Tirohanga i te KÅ�rerotanga o te Reo Rangatira i Roto i ngÄ� Kainga Maori me ngÄ� Rohe appeared first on 91ÇÑ×Ó.