of te reo Maori rejected
A community board member’s report complaining about use of te reo Maori at a local government conference has been deemed unacceptable by the Dunedin City Council.
Brian Peat, of the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board, referred to ‘‘a young Maori chap’’ talking in te reo for at least 20 minutes without translation into English, but his recollection has been challenged by one of the conference organisers.
Mr Peat has called for all Maori content to be translated.
His rejected report included the claim New Zealand’s first language was English and that the community boards’ conference content ‘‘seemed somewhat slanted’’ on two subjects — Maori and climate change.
Mr Peat asked for his report to be included in the community board’s agenda, but DCC chief executive Sandy Graham said this would have been inappropriate.
Its contents were not consistent with the council’s partnership obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, she said.
Link to article and video: Report complaining about use of te reo Maori rejected | Otago Daily Times Online News (odt.co.nz)
