Kia Tīmata Pai (Best Start) Video Project: Observed te Reo Māori use within Early Childhood Education Following Educator Professional Development ...

Te reo Māori (the Māori language), the Indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand, has experienced shifts in use over time. In the 1850s, with the increased European settler population and the subsequent influences of colonisation and cultural assimilation, the number of te reo Māori speakers declined notably, and English emerged as the dominant language in Aotearoa (Taani, 2019). By 1979, te reo Māori faced the threat of extinction, with many believing it would disappear completely (Barrett-Walker et al., 2020; Ka'ai-Mahuta, 2011; Ka'ai et al., 2019; Walker, 2016). However, in recent years there has been renewed interest in the protection, revitalisation, and integration of the indigenous language across New Zealand (Ka'ai et al., 2019). Successful language revitalisation is dependent on te reo Māori being accessible within early education (Barrett-Walker et al., 2020). Critically, early childhood educators report feeling unprepared to implement the Māori elements of the national early childhood ...