Growing Up in New Zealand Policy Brief. The intergenerational use of te reo Māori: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand

Te reo Māori remained a predominant, flourishing, living language in the early post-colonisation period, however its use was in decline by the mid-19th Century, and by the mid-20th Century there were concerns that the language was dying out. Retention and use of te reo Māori is important for Aotearoa/New Zealand society as a whole, to strengthen Māori culture and identity, and to ensure that Māori succeed as Māori.

Growing Up in New Zealand provides a unique opportunity to determine the longitudinal, including intergenerational, use and acquisition of te reo Māori, by and for those children who are identified as Māori as well as for all children growing up in New Zealand today. This report discusses the intergenerational use of te reo Māori by the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort children and their parents from before birth until age 2 years.