Te Reo Māori Health Vitality Model
This paper serves as a ‘think piece’ for Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Te Taura Whiri), the Māori Language Commission, and help to consider adopting, or adapting, ‘language health vitality models' to assess the vitality of te reo Māori and to further strengthen Māori language revitalisation efforts. While intended mainly for internal consideration, we wish to share this report of our learning and findings with all supporting the revitalisation and normalisation efforts of te reo Māori and other Indigenous languages worldwide.
He Pā Tūwatawata is the preferred model as it is the only model reviewed for this paper that is developed specifically for te reo Māori, from an ao Māori perspective. The UNESCO nine-factor model, an international tool, would supplement He Pā Tūwatawata. The combination of both models, ideally used by both Maihi, would strengthen collective revitalisation efforts and provide support for collaborative measures across Te Whare o Te Reo Mauriora. This joint approach would enable further research and data collection to be clear, concise, and consistently applied – in order to measure progress.
