Te Reo – (Cook Islands Maori) are we failing our future generations?
“How effective is our language and how does it relate to the economic and social enhancement of our society?”

A proverbial quote says “a people without its language, are a people without an identity.” How true that may be for the Cook Islands is anyone’s guess but recent events and activities have shown that Te Reo is very much alive and is being promoted through the media, tourist activities, sports, education, health and other public good related activities. The question however is, how effective is our language and how does it relate to the economic and social enhancement of our society?
The positive promotion of our language is good, but there are concerns at the lack of co-ordination of Te Reo and the risk of “bastardizing our language” because of the lack of checks and balances to oversee the originality, authenticity, quality, diction and pronunciation of the language.
What has happened to the Language Commission that was established in the late 1990’s and where does the Ministry of Education sit with this national treasure in terms of facilitating and monitoring standards and protocols? Is it their responsibility or should it be placed under the Ministry of Culture, Foreign Affairs or Internal Affairs?
The recent Te Reo profiles on TV have had a positive effect not only with locals but also with tourists who have commented on the value of learning firsthand, basic, every day language. Again the question arises as to what national standards are in place to preserve and protect our language from “coined and bastardized phraseology” which if we are not careful, will impact on our national identity in years to come.
Already, there are several classes teaching Te Reo in the Cook Islands but who is responsible for monitoring the quality and standards of what is being taught? Some of these classes are taught for economic gain to the tutors while others do it freely. Where are the common grounds when our most volatile industry “tourism” is susceptible to greetings like “hello” instead of “kia orana” or “bula” instead of “kia orana?”
Does government have a formal translation service where there is a co-ordinated point of contact for translation services whereby those people actually doing the translations are accredited, certified and approved as translators? If so, the question is by whom?
Right now, it’s open season and there have been concerns aired as to the quality and presentation of our language but no one appears to be taking any responsibility for monitoring our language and yet, it is the essence and fabric of our culture and our society.
One could challenge the basis on which our language is being taught at external tertiary and secondary institutions outside of the Cook Islands, but if we ourselves do not have any measures in place to protect this treasure, who then does the language belong to?
Other countries have lost sight of their language because of neo colonialist attitudes and economic pressures that far outweigh culture, custom and tradition.
We often assimilate to the saying “from birth to death” in an educational context but equally, this can also apply to Te Reo. The reality is that we are all at different levels of learning and understanding and the ones who really reap the benefits of Te Reo are those who are taught the language from birth, those who attend language nest classes, those who reside in the sister islands where Te Reo is a natural acquisition or those who learn for economic gain.
Can we honestly say that Te Reo will become a sustainable economic activity for the future or are we barking up the wrong tree in the hope that economic benefits will befall us because of our language? One would rather think not as English appears to be the main language of today and very little emphasis is placed on preserving the one thing that identifies us and distinguishes us from everything else, our language!

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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