Ka mate kāinga tahi, Ka ora kāinga rua
1940 - 1960s
With ever-increasing urban migration in the 1940s, Māori concerns for the survival of
the language increased. During the 1950s, a huge emphasis was placed on teaching English, and
it was felt that speaking and teaching Māori was an impediment to this. In some schools,
children were punished for speaking Māori.
In 1951 the Māori Women’s Welfare League passed a resolution advocating that Māori
should be taught in Māori schools. In response to this, the Minister of Education stated
that the Māori language had been prohibited due to a lack of teachers who knew Māori.
- In his 1961 report for the Minister of Māori Affairs, J. K. Hunn described the
language as one of the “few surviving relics of ancient Māori life.”
- In 1962 the Play Centre movement expressed the opinion that “vernacular Māori
is unlikely to survive more than one generation from the present”.
However, the Māori voices that were emerging in this period had a
differing view. The Māori Women’s Welfare League, New Zealand Māori Council and
Māori Education Foundation were among those who saw a place in children's
development for both languages.
