Census reveals decline in Cook Islands Māori speakers in New Zealand

Warren Wichman on 19/02/2025

As an aside: English was declared the co-official language 22 years ago, because everyone can speak and understand it. It would serve the PM Mark Brown especially but also other MPs well, and benefit their efforts as well as those not fluent in Maori Kuki Airani online, inside and without the country, keen to hear their messages. It is negligent and some would say contemptible nowadays to be choosing to speak to just a portion and not all of our people of the Cook Islands and beyond in the language everyone knows. The old mainstream media is now an unreliable relic of the past. Social media is the powerful new media and that's why it is important. And why is Cook Islands News not running subtitles to make up for the discrepancy when it is not happening? An equally important matter is the need for English to be used when the Parliament of the Cook Islands is in session, for the same reasons. But in saying that it is important for us to be promoting and teaching our Maori Kuki Airani language wherever there's an opportunity, just as we do on our "Polynesia & Contemporary Pacific Challenges" page https://www.facebook.com/groups/202274190527260