Summarised by Centrist
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi fronted journalists on Tuesday speaking only te reo Māori, saying it was “silly to even question it” during Māori Language Week.
“If your questions are in Māori, I’ll answer. If they’re in Pākehā, I won’t,” he told reporters.
The move split opinion across Parliament. Labour’s Shanan Halbert, himself on a long te reo journey, said he opposed creating an “exclusive bunch” of Māori and wanted to “include everyone, all New Zealanders.” Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and suggested media could use subtitles.
Green co-leader Marama Davidson called Waititi’s approach “perfectly appropriate,” saying, “We only get one official week of te reo Māori a year.” National’s Tama Potaka agreed it could encourage journalists to learn more, though warned te reo shouldn’t be forced on people.
ACT leader David Seymour accused Waititi of “weaponising the reo to make a political point,” saying it left journalists at a disadvantage. NZ First’s Shane Jones labelled it “performative,” arguing, “a lot of Māori still got their information in English.”
Waititi tried to soften the fallout from Tākuta Ferris’ remarks, calling them the start of “beautiful conversations,” even as the substance of what Ferris said was backed by party president John Tamihere. It was condemned outright by Labour leader Chris Hipkins as “entirely wrong” and “incompatible” with any future Labour government.
Image: Dhantegge
