Budget 2006: Help to revitalise Pacific languages (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Budget 2006: Help to revitalise Pacific languages

Thursday, 18 May 2006, 3:39 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Hon Phil Goff, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Associate Minister of Pacific Island
Affairs
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00436.htm

Help to revitalise Pacific languages

The government will spend $600,000 over the next three years on a
programme to revitalise the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau languages
that are at risk of becoming extinct in New Zealand.

Pacific Island Affairs Minister Phil Goff and Associate Minister
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said Budget 2006 would fund an expansion of
their Ministry's successful Mind Your Language pilot involving the Niue
community last year.

"The 2001 census found only six per cent of Cook Islanders, 12 per cent
of Niueans and 30 per cent of Tokelauans born in New Zealand could hold
an everyday conversation in their mother tongue," Phil Goff said.

"The people from all three island groups are New Zealand citizens and
the centre of population of each group is now in New Zealand.

"Those languages risk being lost within the next 30 years if cultural
knowledge and language skills cannot be maintained and passed onto
younger generations. Given the small populations still resident in the
islands, this put the culture and language heritage of these areas are
at risk.

"The key aim of Mind Your Language is to build a critical mass of people
who are able to hold every-day conversations in the tongue of their
forebears.

"The funding will see resources developed for Cook Island and Tokelau
tutors who are fluent speakers but not necessarily teachers, and it
will also allow a new group of learners from the Niue community to
undertake the programme.

Luamanuvao Winnie Laban said helping Pacific languages to survive and
flourish was an important part of New Zealand's identity as a Pacific
nation.

"At a practical level it also allows people to fully participate in
symbolic family and cultural activities, which in turn helps builds
strong, confident communities."

ENDS