Learning Languages

Te reo Māori is a taonga ( treasure) and is an official language of Aotearoa.  It is indigenous and unique to our country.  At Cornwall Park District School we value Te Reo and Tikanga  Maori and we have a school-wide commitment to learning Te Reo Māori for all learners at our school.   We believe that the more we learn and speak Te Reo the more we will flourish.

Te Reo Māori, is guaranteed protection under the Treaty of Waitangi. It was declared an official language in 1987. As a result, Te Reo Māori has a special place in the New Zealand Curriculum.  Eight curriculum principles underpin curriculum decision making in New Zealand, and one of these principles is headed “Treaty of Waitangi”

“The Curriculum acknowledges the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand.  All students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of the reo Māori me ona tikanga”
The New Zealand Curriculum, page 9

Te Reo Māori is included in learning languages, which is one of the eight learning areas in The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007). The theme of growth is reflected in the four levels of Te Aho Arataki, the curriculum guidelines, which illustrate progression from a seedling to a sapling to a flourishing tree.

At Cornwall Park District School we have also chosen to learn the Mandarin Language.  All learners from Years 2 – 6 are involved in our Mandarin language programme.  We are fortunate to have native language tutors support Lisa Rolle with the teaching.

“In learning languages, students learn to communicate in an additional language, develop their capacity to learn further languages, and explore different world news in relation to their own.” The New Zealand Curriculum, page 24

Learning a language also increases the learner’s understanding of their own language(s) and culture(s).