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National | Education

College to teach te reo Māori for the first time in 99 years

It’s taken almost a century but Queen Margaret College in Wellington will be teaching te reo Māori for the first time, starting this month. The Private college that opened in 1919 will start Māori classes with year 8 and 9 students on the 14th of May. College Principal Jayne-Ann Young says the push to have Māori added to the curriculum came from within the school.

Young told Kawekōrero “It’s really heartening to see all of the support from all of the community.”

It’s mandatory at Queen Margaret College that the year 7, 8 and 9 students learn a second language and Māori is now an option for those students. The college acknowledges that this is just the first step and are excited about what lies ahead.

“It’s still aspirational, we still know we have a long way to go. That’s ok though because we’ve started and we’re not going back,” says Young.