WHERE IS MĀORI LANGUAGE PLANNING USEFUL?

In The Office

Internal communications
A Māori language internal communications policy can ensure that your staff can choose to communicate in either Māori or English, whether that is in simple greetings, casual conversations or formal communications. It can also be used to standardise bilingual messages in letterhead, automatic email messages and other written forms of communication.

Recruitment
A recruitment policy can set guidelines for bilingual job advertisements, job descriptions, succession planning and identifying the skills you are looking for in new employees.

Staff Training
A Māori language training policy like other training policies can set guidelines for who can access training, and defines the type, purpose and duration of training.

Proficiency Assessment
A Māori language proficiency assessment policy can enable staff to have their Māori language proficiency skills assessed by a nationally recognised system such as Whakamātauria Tō Reo Māori.

Communicating With Clients

External Communications
A Māori language external communications policy can ensure that Māori and English language is used appropriately and consistently in all modes of communication with clients/the public.

Quality Assurance
A quality assurance policy for Māori language text ensures that bilingual documents and translations are accurate and of a consistently high standard.

Bilingual Publications
A bilingual publications policy can ensure that Māori and English language is used appropriately and consistently in all types of publications.

Bilingual Websites
A bilingual website policy can ensure that Māori and English language is used appropriately and consistently on your organisation's website.

Statistics

In the Survey of Attitudes, Values and Beliefs towards Māori language 2004, 83% of Māori and 55% of non-Māori agreed that 'it would be good if government departments could conduct business in Māori if requested'.

While recent consultation with key Māori language stakeholders has identified a stakeholder demand for public services delivered in the Māori language, results from the Health of the Māori Language Survey 2001 show that this demand is not being met:

• 86% of Māori adults indicated that Māori language was never used in any of their interactions with Work and Income New Zealand or the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services;
• 87% indicated that Māori was never used in any interactions with the New Zealand Police; and
• 79% indicated that Māori was never used in interactions with local Government authorities.

If clients don't know a service is available, then they most often aren't going to be proactive and ask for it. In terms of better business practice and effective service provision, clients should be informed as to the current availability of public services delivered in the Māori language.
go to: http://www.tpk.govt.nz/maori/language/default.asp