Wā Pātai: Māori language week at Parliament

Ko tēnei wiki ko te wiki o te reo Maori - this past week was Māori Language Week. You probably knew that already though.

What you probably also know is that, 52 years ago on 14 September, the Māori language petition was delivered to Parliament. The petition is widely regarded as one of the foundational civic actions that spurred the eventual recognition of Māori as an official language.

Parliament's relationship with the Māori language is one that is well over a century old. The language has been spoken in the halls of Parliament since the 1860s, when the first Māori MPs were elected.

Many a politician's suit jackets this week bore the wee 'Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori' hei tiki logo.

More noticeable though, was the number of members sitting in the chamber with earpieces in to hear the translation. It looked a bit like a scene from the UN General Assembly.

There are quite a few fluent speakers of te reo in this Parliament but te reo was heard in the House more than usual this week, especially during Question Time.

Many pātai (questions), before being asked in English, were prefaced with things like Tēnā koe e te Māngai o te Whare (acknowledgement of the Speaker).

Other members chose to ask the question entirely in te reo. With all the switching back and forth between English and Māori though, there appeared to be a little confusion as to what did and didn't need to be translated. (For more on this, listen to the audio version of this story by clicking the link above.)

You gotta give it to Parliament's Nga Ratonga Ao Māori translation team this week. They looked tino pukumahi (very busy).

The idea of a translation team isn't new at Parliament. Some of the first Māori MPs way back in the 1860s had little English, and as early as 1880, Parliament had a small group of interpreters who translated speeches, petitions, and engagements with Māori members of the public.

From the beginning of the 20th century though, in accordance with the widespread dominance of English, the use of interpreters dwindled.

When te reo was used during this period, members were required to give immediate translations into English. This may have been slightly awkward for former member Tapihana Paraire, who often spoke in Māori on Friday evenings, as it was an efficient way to send messages to his wife, listening to Parliament being broadcast on the radio, back in the electorate.

With te reo legally becoming an official language in 1987, and increasing usage throughout the 1990s, Parliament established a permanent translation service for the House in 1999, and the following year this was expanded to select committees.

Thanks to them, even if there is a bit of confusion from time to time, as there was this week, te reo Māori and a unique bilingualism is able to thrive in Aotearoa's home of democracy.

RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk.