Teenage trendsetters are one of the keys to sustainable language revitalisation and points to an unlikely source of inspiration – the Korean wave, says Dr Rachael Ka’ai-Mahuta of Auckland University of Technology’s Te Ipukarea Research Institute.

Korean popular culture is driving interest in Korean language and culture, and has had a large impact on wider popular culture, to the extent that the Korean Wave is subverting the English language as the language of popular culture.

Dr Ka’ai-Mahuta said that pop culture impacted on the language choices teens made, and points to the lack of te reo material aimed at teens/young adults.

READ MORE: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori language week

“Language and culture go hand in hand. They inform each other, and learning a language provides insights into culture that otherwise might pass us by,” said Dr Ka’ai-Mahuta.

“There’s an amazing wealth of te reo Māori resources available now, but they’re mostly targeted at younger kids, particularly preschoolers.

“We need more Māori language content like novels, TV shows, music and games aimed at teens.

“Teens have a role as trendsetters and fandom-builders. They have the power to adopt and normalise te reo Māori and make it part of their everyday lives.

Te Ipukarea Research Institute at AUT is currently leading a research project, funded by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, looking at how the Māori language can be better supported in the lives of adolescents, based on the idea that the Māori language of adolescence forms the building blocks of non-formal adult language, or the language of friendship, humour, relationships, emotions, and mental health.

The preliminary findings of show the strategic importance of the teenage age group for Māori language revitalisation, noting that teenagers are trendsetters and can have an impact on and be influenced by the perceived value of the Māori language and therefore, its status.

“I like to imagine a near future where we have equivalents of KPop group BTS or movies in te reo Māori that garner the widespread admiration of award-winning movies like Parasite,” said Dr Ka’ai-Mahuta.

“Both Māori and Pākehā think that Te Reo Māori is an important part of New Zealand’s national identity and should be compulsory in primary schools. This is what people want for their children and grandchildren,” says Professor Tania Ka’ai, director of Te Ipukarea.

The vast majority of survey respondents agree or strongly agree that the Māori language should be compulsory in New Zealand primary schools, including 83 percent of Māori, 80 percent of New Zealand European/Pākehā and 78 percent of other ethnicities.

An even larger proportion – 95 percent of Māori, 94 percent of New Zealand European/Pākehā and 90 percent of other ethnicities – agree or strongly agree that the Māori language is an important part of New Zealand’s national identity.

The pop-up survey was completed by 5391 visitors to the Te Aka Māori-English Dictionary online.

Conducted in partnership with the Māori Language Commission, the survey sought to gather data on how the online dictionary is used, the language proficiency of users and attitudes towards Te Reo Māori.

Those surveyed identified as Māori (58 percent), New Zealand European/Pākehā (35 percent) and other ethnicities (7 percent). They were evenly distributed by age. And, the largest groups by occupation were professionals (37 percent) and students (20 percent).

Looking for inspiration
Professor Ka’ai says the rest of the world looks to New Zealand for inspiration and guidance on how to keep indigenous language alive.

Scandinavian countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden are exploring Māori language immersion models such as Kura Kaupapa and Kohanga Reo – the latter of which was the archetype for Hawai’i’s Pūnana Leo.

“We are world leaders in language revitalisation. The next step is for government to make Te Reo Māori compulsory in primary schools. Now, let’s lead the world in this,” says Professor Ka’ai.

According to Statistics New Zealand, 377,073 students were enrolled in New Zealand primary schools in 2016 – 72 percent received no Māori language education, 25 per cent studied Māori as a subject or equivalent and 3 percent were involved in Māori language immersion.

• Te Ipukarea