The+Pasifika+Languages+Strategy

The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs (MPIA) has been developing a Pacific Languages Strategy and Needs your Support and Submissions
After extensive consultations by MPIA with the communities and commissioning a research paper from Professor Stephen May (2009), University of Auckland, **the NZ Government still will not provide support and funding consistent with international policies and obligations needed for Pacific minority language/s maintenance and revival.**

Thus instead of have a strong CENTRAL POLICY or STRATEGY that raises the status of the languages the MPIA has been forced to have a very cheap and largely ineffective low level long term 35 year strategy that will seek to support the various communities in their efforts to maintain and revive their own languages- yet again- **Many Languages will have long gone by 35 yrs**

This is the current Goverment's response to most issues when it is called on to ACT decisively : Let the communities do for us, we will coordinate the work and take the credit- it will cost us little - We just need to agree in principle.

This ignores the fact that our communites do not have the status, the resources, the expertise, the knowledge or often even the manpower to to argue with the system and end up having do the job themselves. The MIND YOUR LANGUAGE MPIA web based and community classes language learning programme is a classic strategy /programme of this type - Up and funded for three years - now gone -Funding is finished -Strategy is not sustainable- end of the programme. Community partnership is essential, but leaving the community to //sink or swim// is an unacceptable strategy.
 * It also ignores the fact that the May report said - //A strong central policy is needed combined with strong effective Bilingual education in schools//**

I**t also ignores the fact that the community consultation said -**

//**A Pacific Languages Commission**// was needed to guide the maintenance and revival of the languages beyond changes in CEOs, restructuring, changes in staff, changes in Governments. International research says this is essential. There are numerous international examples. It need not cost millions- The Leo Pacific Coalition shows we can work together for our common good- We can have unity in our diversity and this is the end of DIVIDE AND RULE betwen Pacific communities promoted so often in the past.

because Ministry of Education is opposed to Bilingual Education and seeks to block discussion and evidence about it, the MPIA apparently has had to back down. ( see McCafery & McFall 2010 AlterNative article on this site for further evidence and discussion)
 * BIlingual / immersion education is essential to any strategy. Languages cannot survive or be revived without it** (May, 2010).
 * The Ministry of Education statement is below- OIA Metis number 510784 13 th October 2010 page 1**

===**//"There is a risk that bilingual advocacy and the call for the preservation of Pasifika languages will divert attention away from the fact that the majority of Pasifika students in English medium schools are learning English"//**===


 * //Doesn't BILINGUAL mean they are LEARNING TWO LANGUAGES -WHY HAVE ONE WHEN YOU CAN MASTER TWO?//**
 * //See Tuafuti & McCaffery, (2005) research article on Finlayson Park School .//**

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 * //WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED TO TELL GOVERNMENT- Legal and Constitutional responsibilities- Read this historic document below//**

-- ** Research Based Priorities for the Pacific Languages Strategy **
 * Based on - Researchers-Fishman, 1991, 2001, 2007; May, 2009; McCaffery & McFall McCaffery, 2010 **

 1. Establishment of a Pacific Languages Commission- sustainability of actions

 3. HRC National Languages Strategy- official status raised  4. Human Rights Pacific languages legal process -official legal status raised-  5. Effective Pacific Languages Strategy – MPIA- official status raised 6. Establish functional uses and value for PL in NZ society especially employment- official status raised. 7. Through Bilingual Education. Immersion in Early Childhood Centres and dual medium in schools (Dutcher& Tucker 1995;Mangubhai 2003; McCaffery & Tuafuti 2003; Taufe’ulungaki 2003; Tuafuti & McCaffery2005;Tuafuti, Harvey & McCaffery 2006) 8. **Through coordinated effort by all Pacific communities through- ** 9. Through parents speaking language to children at home (Fairburn-Dunlop 1984; Aipolo & Holmes 1990;Bell, Fetui, Starks, Taumoefolau 2002; “Mind Your Language” Niuean and Cook Island Programmes MINPAC2005,2006; Hunkin & Mayer, 2006) 10. Through the churches using and promoting languages (McFall 2006; Tanielu, 2004; Tuafuti 1998, 1999;Unasa 2006) 11. Through the community (Fishman 2000; “Mind Your Language” MINPAC 2005, 2006; Tuafuti & McCaffery2003, 2005) 12. Through decolonisation and empowerment workshops (Aiono 1989; Cummins 1986, 2001; Hau’ofa 1993;Helu-Thaman 1996, 2003; Puamau 2002; Taufe’ulungaki 2002, 2003) 13. Effective research informed decisions (e.g. Te Whare Kura TRI research project partnerships –Through apartnership between Pacific Studies, Maori Studies, DALSL, Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, Te Whare KuraTRI, School of Education at Epsom Campus & Bilingual Leo Pacific Community Coalition). 14. Through the teaching of languages as a “subject” in schools Learning Languages (Aiono, 1989; Fetui1996;Hunkin-Tuiletufuga 1989; MOE Learning Languages) 15. Through the work of Pacific Studies as a discipline (Mahina 1999; Taumoefalau 2005; 2006;Ka’ili 2005)

**// ‘O le l //****// ā //****// ’au ola e t //****// ū //****//, ‘ae ‘ua //****// ō //****// ia //**
 * (The tree stands but has been marked to be felled. Unless we act now Pacific languages will be gone before very long) - **