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Speeches 

 

Mind Your Language Cook Islands and Nuie Resource Launch

Phil Goff

28.09.2007

Nearly 7 percent of New Zealand's population or 266,000 people are Pasifika. Over 60 per cent of the Pasifika community are now New Zealand born and too many of this group are losing the culture and the language of their forebears.

Kia orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Ni sa bula vinaka, Taloha ni, Kia ora tatou and Warm Pacific Greetings to you all this evening.

Thank you Dr Tukuitonga for your invitation to speak today and thank you Reverend Lagi Sipeli for making the journey from Wellington to provide a special blessing on our proceedings today.

I wish to acknowledge my colleague Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, the Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs for being with us today.

I would also like to acknowledge our distinguished guests
The Honourable Bill Vakaafi Motufoou -Niuen Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Works;
HE Tepure Tapaitau
High Commissioner for the Cook Islands;
HE Sisilia Talagi - High Commissioner for Niue;
Seiuli Sir Barry Curtis - Mayor of Manukau City
And Anne Candy - Deputy Mayor of Manukau City

Thank you for your support of this event and for joining us today.

I wish to welcome our communities to this special occasion and I would like to thank our community representatives who will shortly speak about the Mind Your Language resources, their place in the community and the journey they have taken in preparing the new resources, Mama Tupou Manapouri and Granby Ray Siakimotu thank you.

Today marks a special day for Pasifika people in encouraging retention of our Pacific language. Our Pasifika cultures and language are part of the taonga of New Zealand.

Nearly 7 percent of New Zealand's population or 266,000 people are Pasifika. Over 60 per cent of the Pasifika community are now New Zealand born and too many of this group are losing the culture and the language of their forebears.
With more people from some of these communities now living in New Zealand than in their country of origin, it is important that we work to nurture and sustain those languages and cultures.

The greatest level of decline is in the smaller population groups. 6 percent of New Zealand born Cook Islanders, 12 percent of New Zealand born Niueans and less than a third of New Zealand born Tokelauans were able to speak in their ethnic languages.
Cook Islands, Niuean and Tokelauan people are all New Zealand citizens and the critical mass of these island populations now live on our shores.

After consultations with these communities the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs in partnership with Niu Development incorporated completed a successful Mind Your Language pilot for the Niuean community.

This has seen the publication of books and an audio CD to promote Niuen language learning. We are now using the website as an interactive tool to make the language learning accessible to all.

This year the ministry has worked in partnership with Ai Metua to develop resources for the Cook Island programme.

The Tokelauan Mind Your Language programme will be launched on the 28 September in Wellington.

In Budget 2006, funding was made available to ensure resources were produced and delivered to language learners from the Niue, Cook Islands and Tokelau communities. Funding for these activities will continue until mid 2009.

The success of the Mind Your Language pilot has allowed both further development of the Niuean language resource as well as a strong base from which our Cook Islands communities have developed their resource.

Our Pacific languages and Pacific identity are part of what make our communities special. We need to ensure our children and our mokopuna grow strong in their own sense of identity - by learning the languages of their forebears and keeping it alive for future generations.

The success of Mind Your Language depends only in part on Government. What it really relies upon is the communities ability to support new learners joining the programme. The government has assisted by paving the way for these resources to be developed.

I wish all those involved in the programme every success.

I wish to leave you with two thoughts "Tuatua'ia Te Reo Maori Kuki Airani ko te reo mato teia I pao ia mai ei tatou"
- speak the Cook Islands language for our language is our identity.

And "Ko e Vagahau Niue ko e alito he aga motu"
The Niue language defines us as the people of Niue.

Fakaaue lahi, meitaki ma'ata - ki a monuina

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