Te Tirohanga i te K艒rerotanga o te Reo Rangatira i Roto i ng膩 Kainga Maori me ng膩 Rohe
Survey of Language Use in M膩ori Households and Communities 1973-1978
Over 30,000 people from nearly 6,500 wh膩nau were surveyed
In 1973 Dr Richard Benton began a sociolinguistic survey of te reo M膩ori that led to turning point in the fate of the language. The survey was the first project undertaken by NZCER鈥檚 newly-established M膩ori Research Unit, Te W膩hanga Kaupapa M膩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膩ori in schools and communities, and how the education system could ensure that it flourished.聽 The survey was designed to answer two questions: who can speak M膩ori, and who does speak M膩ori?
The survey gathered information from 33,338 individuals in 6,470 wh膩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聽聽that are now available online.
Te W膩hanga continues to focus on te reo M膩ori
In 2016 Te Taura Whiri I te Reo M膩ori commissioned Te W膩hanga to do research that would identify progress, barriers, and opportunities that bring about the regeneration of te reo M膩ori. That project revisited some of the communities that Dr Benton鈥檚 team had surveyed some 40 years before. Their reports, gathered as聽, paint a more positive picture of the language.