<html><head></head><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><br></font><span></span><br><span> <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/7730575/Speaking-up-for-our-many-languages">http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/7730575/Speaking-up-for-our-many-languages</a></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Speaking up for our many languages by Colin King MP 26/9/2012</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span> Every now and then we have the opportunity to interact with other</span><br><span>cultures living in New Zealand and realise what a rich and inspiring</span><br><span>society we have become.</span><br><span>I was recently part of an education and science select committee trip</span><br><span>to Auckland to hear submissions on bilingualism in early childhood</span><br><span>education centres (ECEs).</span><br><span>We listened to presentations from people representing Kiribati, Niue,</span><br><span>the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Tokelau.</span><br><span>These presentations were done with passion and a powerful sense of</span><br><span>purpose, emphasising the responsibility of the Government to preserve</span><br><span>their native languages.</span><br><span>What many people may not realise is that one language dies every 14</span><br><span>days. In the July 2012 edition of National Geographic magazine, it was</span><br><span>stated that by the next century nearly half of the roughly 7000</span><br><span>languages spoken on earth will likely disappear as communities abandon</span><br><span>native tongues in favour of English, Chinese or Spanish.</span><br><span>The presentations were inspiring and included among them were</span><br><span>interesting speeches delivered by Doctors of Education from Auckland</span><br><span>University. These people supported bilingualism, because research has</span><br><span>shown it aids scholastic potential in young people.</span><br><span>The presenters, many of whom were children, spoke for up to half an</span><br><span>hour and their submissions included customary singing, prayers and</span><br><span>cultural protocols. Each submission was followed by five minutes</span><br><span>question time.</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>The young chairperson, Nikki Kaye, wrapped up the presentations</span><br><span>beautifully with a song and prayer for all the people gathered and all</span><br><span>those cultures represented during the day's submissions.</span><br><span>Being typical palagi (pronounced palangi and meaning "white person" or</span><br><span>"foreigner"), we had a rather structured programme of our own, which</span><br><span>included catching a plane home, and this became more logistically</span><br><span>challenging as the day progressed and things became further and</span><br><span>further behind schedule. I think the saving grace was reducing the</span><br><span>lunchbreak to 15 minutes, which allowed some catch-up time.</span><br><span>We were still running an hour behind schedule, but the quality and</span><br><span>passion of the presentations meant time simply sped past.</span><br><span>You may ask why I have chosen to talk about this particular select</span><br><span>committee sitting. It was so vibrant and alive, compared with what I</span><br><span>usually have to sit through: peer-reviewed research, facts, figures</span><br><span>and arguments - although they are all valid and important, they can be</span><br><span>very dry.</span><br><span>Instead, at this bilingualism submission day, we were presented with a</span><br><span>motivated, well-orchestrated multicultural spectacle that couldn't but</span><br><span>help sway our thinking. It was full of humanity in all its diversity.</span><br><span></span><br><span>The underlying theme was that bilingualism is all about children and</span><br><span>in order to educate them well, they need to feel confident of their</span><br><span>place in New Zealand.</span><br><span>This palagi caught his plane and left Auckland with a huge amount of</span><br><span>respect for these people who want to save their languages and do their</span><br><span>fair share.</span><br><span>We face an enormous challenge when we consider the 1400 people who</span><br><span>live on Niue, because there are more Niueans living in New Zealand. A</span><br><span>fact like this gives us a true feeling for the micro-nature of</span><br><span>language.</span><br><span>Teachers who speak Polynesian languages fluently are essential to the</span><br><span>success of ECE centres. They will give children the upbringing that</span><br><span>will allow them to get ahead.</span><br><span>The inquiry into bilingualism in ECEs continues. The death of a</span><br><span>language represents the death of a culture and makes the world a</span><br><span>poorer place.</span><br><span>- чо Fairfax NZ</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>