“There is a threat posed to human freedom by the enormous power of the modern state. History teaches the dangers of government that overreaches – political control taking precedence over free economic growth, mindless bureaucracy, all combining to stifle individual excellence and personal freedom.” – President Ronald Reagan, Address to Members of the British Parliament, 1982.
“Chaotic scenes erupted as hundreds of police descended, armed with riot shields, and shoving protesters out of the way. Protesters could be heard crying in pain after being pepper sprayed and police were lined several people deep to move them on… a police helicopter circled above…”
This was not reporting Russian authorities clearing demonstrators against President Putin’s attack on the Ukraine, nor French Police breaking up a violent protest after President Emmanuel Macron won re-election. It was New Zealand’s Police moving in on the men, women, and children peacefully camped on Parliament grounds on March 2nd.
Instead of talking to the anti-mandate leaders – as they had requested – Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern looked down from her 9th floor Beehive office as Police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and batons to crush the protest.
The police tactics resulted in significant damage to property, multiple arrests, dozens of injuries, and hundreds of complaints of Police brutality – exactly what Police Commissioner Andrew Coster had warned against just eleven days earlier. At that time, he totally rejected the use of force against the protesters, saying that the level required “wouldn’t be acceptable to most New Zealanders.”
So, what changed? Why was official force used that morning after the Police Chief had ruled it out?
With public support for the protesters growing, some say Labour’s falling poll ratings were a factor.
What is incontrovertible is the contrast between the kid glove tactics used by Jacinda Ardern during the Ihumatao protest, where she went out of her way to end it peacefully, and the heavy-handed approach employed against those whose lives she had destroyed with her totalitarian vaccine mandates – mandates she had assured the ‘team of five million’ would not be imposed.
Our Prime Minister, who claims to be the only source of truth, not only made a complete mockery of her “be kind to each other” mantra, but after Justice Francis Cooke disclosed in his February High Court ruling on vaccine mandates, that the Ministry of Health had advised the PM last October that vaccine mandates were unnecessary, she has revealed herself to be untrustworthy and untruthful.
The February High Court decision that vaccine mandates for Police and Defence Force staff “could not be justified in a free and democratic society” confirmed the protesters’ cause was legitimate. New Zealanders had been deceived into thinking the mandates were imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19, when in fact, the Vaccine Order stated it was to “ensure continuity” of essential services. But even that did not stack up, as the actual numbers of unvaccinated staff – 164 Police out of a workforce of 15,000, and 115 Defence workers out of 15,500 – were too small to justify such punitive measures.
In reality, the mandates had nothing to do with health nor the maintenance of public services and were instead weapons of coercion, to force compliance with the Government’s vaccine strategy.
This raises an Important question – since vaccination is no longer ‘required’, why are mandates still in force for many public sector workers including doctors and medical staff? Are they being used vindictively by the Ardern Government to continue punishing those who did not comply? Or is it simply so politicians can save face?
It was a similar story with MIQ – the Government’s border quarantine system, that many described as a “cruel lottery from hell”. Last November the Ministry of Health advised the Prime Minister that there was no longer any health justification for continuing the system. As a result, stranded Kiwis from all over the world could have come home for Christmas.
But the advice was ignored.
In her High Court ruling in favour of Grounded Kiwis – a group established to advocate for Kiwis wanting to come home – Justice Jillian Mallon found that the right of New Zealanders to return had been infringed “in a manner that was not demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”
Given such actions by the Ardern administration, it’s puzzling why New Zealanders remain so trusting of the Government – especially as the Prime Minister’s promised “transformation” has turned out to be Soviet-style divide and rule, with a gross denial of the fundamental freedoms that we, in a ‘free and democratic society’, take for granted.
Former Labour MP and Maori Party co-leader Dame Tariana Turia has been an outspoken critic of Jacinda Ardern’s dictatorial approach. Referring to the PM’s former role as president of the International Union of Socialist Youth, Dame Tariana, said, “I have no confidence in her. I’ve seen a video of her a while ago where she was doing almost the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute as a young socialist. I certainly believe she’s a socialist.”
Dame Tariana says the way the government dealt with the protesters was an abuse of power – and that everyone has a right to be heard: “That’s our right as New Zealanders – as those who have put these people into power. I think that anyone behaving like the Government is right now is abusing power… I think that we trust people to do what they know to be best for themselves. I don’t think they’ve got any right ever to dictate to the people… We have a right to say yes or no to whatever is happening in politics, and people have guarded that religiously… I think they’ve overstepped their mark. I’ve never, ever seen the Crown behave like that before. It’s tantamount to bullying.”
It is bullying. Socialists have no respect for those with contrary views, and they use force to impose their will. To them every problem must be regulated, because with regulation comes the power of enforcement.
And that’s what makes the Ardern Government so dangerous.
Their authoritarian approach can even be seen in something as simple as requiring official government communications to be clear and easily understood. Instead of taking the common sense approach of informing agency bosses of this objective and requiring them to progress it throughout their organisations, a new law is being passed to force compliance.
The explanatory note of the Plain Language Bill that is presently in front of a Select Committee explains its purpose: “This Bill promotes the use of plain English in official documents and websites. Comprehensible information from government organisations is a basic democratic right. Plain English must become the standard for all official public and private communication in New Zealand.”
Once the Bill is passed, government agencies will be required to appoint one or more Plain Language Officers to train staff, deal with complaints, and provide regular compliance reports to the Public Service Commissioner, who will then report the findings to a Minister.
This will invariably lead to more nonsense jobs, further expanding the government bureaucracy – which has already grown 30 percent in the year to June 30, from 47,352 in 2017 when Labour took office, to 61,097 in 2021.
While most people would welcome government communications being provided in simple English that’s easy to understand, the key problem that exists nowadays is caused by the inclusion of Maori language words into English communications without the courtesy of a translation – often rendering the meaning incomprehensible.
Unfortunately, this problem is unlikely to be addressed by this Bill, since Clause 11 states, “Nothing in this Act affects the Maori Language Act 2016”, and a key objective of that Act is to “support the revitalisation of the Maori language, including by promoting an increase in the number of people speaking the Maori language and improving their fluency in that language.”
In his article outlining the situation, lawyer Dennis Gates explains, “The Prime Minister of Singapore, addressing the nation on its 50th anniversary, drew attention to that country’s achievements but also castigated his fellow countrymen for the use of what he called ‘Singlish’ – a mix of English and several Asian languages. The equivalent is happening in New Zealand, but driven from the top down, not evolving from the bottom up. We are in danger of creating our own form of Singlish, namely what I call Manglish.”
The answer, surely, is for the Plain Language Bill to require that when words of another language – including Maori – are inserted into any official communication in English, they must be accompanied by the English translation.
This requirement should also apply to spoken communications – including by taxpayer funded TVNZ and RadioNZ – so that every time the announcers use Maori words, they will be required by law to provide an English translation.
Anyone keen to see such a development might like to contact members of the Governance and Administration Select Committee that’s dealing with this Bill – see HERE – to suggest that an amendment along those lines should be inserted into the Bill. All MP address can be found on the NZCPR website HERE. Furthermore, we have created a Plain English Petition to help raise awareness of this issue and to promote a potential solution to a growing problem in New Zealand. To sign the petition and help spread awareness please click HERE.
This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, former Judge and Law Lecturer Anthony Willy, who is also extremely concerned about the relentless increase in State control and the damage created by government overreach, has provided a comprehensive paper outlining the importance of the free market economy to a well-functioning democracy:
“We in the anglosphere have become so used to conducting our business affairs in a ‘marketplace’ that we take it for granted and if we give it any thought at all we ignore how fundamental it is to our way of life, preservation of our liberties, and to the health of our democracy. It is no accident that those who seek to destroy those liberties and democracy must first destroy the market economy.”
He warns that while historical attempts have been made to replace free markets with communism and Marxism, under Jacinda Ardern, the attack is through tribalism – and unless stopped, it could lead to the “the destruction of democracy and rendering the market economy unworkable”.
Meanwhile, in this present environment of increasing State control, the European Union has used the crisis in the Ukraine as a cover to pass a new law to regulate social media and end the era of self-regulation.
The Digital Services Act, which critics believe will give the European Commission extensive powers without appropriate checks and balances, will require social media companies to police their platforms even more aggressively to combat “misinformation” and “divisive” content, or risk incurring fines that could reach as high as 6 percent of global turnover.
For Elon Musk, who has now received approval from Twitter’s Board to buy the social media giant for US$44 billion, the challenges that lie ahead to retain free speech in an increasingly regulated world are now even greater.
Is regulating Big Tech the next step for Jacinda Ardern’s authoritarian government? Will they attempt to control social media now that they have captured mainstream media through their $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund?
With New Zealanders becoming increasingly aware of what it’s like living under socialist authoritarian rule, surely freedom must become the defining issue of our next election.
It’s time Kiwis found their voice and defined the line between personal freedom and state control. Do we want an authoritarian regime that believes every problem can be solved through regulation – or do we want a government that will enable us to do the very best we can for ourselves and our families?
If we don’t take a stand and define the line between freedom and authoritarianism, then socialists like Jacinda Ardern and her comrade colleagues will do it for us.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Should ‘official’ communications provided in English be required to include a translation if non-English words – including Maori – are used?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| this translation must also be confirmed as accurate by Iwi agreement if possible. Otherwise Maori words should not be used because they would be open to different interpretations leading to disputes. | peter |
| I am over this Cultural takeover! It is ridiculous that they invent Maori names for things they did not have prior to 1840 and apply them to everyday language !! | Laurie |
| Yes! Let’s make life as difficult as possible for the mindless morons who try to force this utter BS on us while cowering invisibly in the background! | Paul |
| The English component must come first. At a recent dawn parade on Anzac Day I was offended to hear Maori spoken ahead of English, even the Ode. | Carol |
| even most maori dont understand maori | darelle |
| I also have invented a new word ‘ramoa’. Its meaning in plain English is ‘radical maori. Used to describe those who seek separatism in New Zealand | Barry |
| It’s going overboard. Maori messages and news should be communicated through the Maori TV Channel. | terrence |
| It’s so rude, when the majority of the population speak English. Other countries offer onscreen and written translations and if we can offer it for the hard of hearing how about for the rest of us. | Helen |
| It appears that a new mixed language – a creole – is being evolved with state support. I think it should be officially acknowledged as “Aotearoa-New Zealand Pidgin”. God knows how English speaking visitors to NZ will cope! | Colin |
| But only if you want anyone to understand what is written. Perhaps they don’t. | Julia |
| Sick of it dont watch TV1 news for this reason. | Alan |
| Get “excess Government” out of our lives ! | Mo |
| This govt.has contempt for any law that does not suit their agenda. | Peter |
| It’s a sick joke that English is not registered as an official language in a country where to be understood we all use English. Forcing this Maori language on us, doesn’t make us want to learn it but rather makes New Zealand a very backward country. | Monica |
| How are people from different countries, and languages going to understand our English , if half is in Maori, with no translation? | Vona |
| There is no logical or justifiable need to have any communications in Maori. It’s commercially and internationally irrelevant. | Warren |
| This should be manadatory. | Tony |
| Frankfurt school, commie cultural marxism, now at its worst, on social and lying MSM, MEDIA AND RADIO , gone insane, courtesy of our Marxist witch dictator from NWO ! | David |
| Surely “English Communication” is just that, English and if you need a reference try the Oxford English Dictionary. Never mind laws promoting other languages, English is spoken by far the majority of New Zealanders and it is a no brainer that government communications should be in this language. I personally am offended by receiving “official” documents starting and ending in Maori, as I would be any other language. Time for common sense | Michael Charles John |
| Yes, but it would be better not to use Maori at all. We are an English speaking nation. It has been a requirement that people seeking to migrate to New Zealand should demonstrate proficiency in spoken English. Surely that should apply to communications for all | Peter |
| Over all Maori want | Neil |
| one language one meaning,no need for two languages in one announcement. | mel |
| Quebec, Canada exactly follows this approach and it should be duplicated in NZ | Paul |
| Preferably no Maori at all since all NZers understand English, and the Maori language is often used to carry various alternative meanings | Andrew |
| It took me weeks to find out that Waka Kotahi was the NZ Transport Agency. Also I am fed up with the Maori words used on the News as they don’t mean a thing., And also Welcome to Town signs should be in English. In Nelson the signs are in Maori with no translation. Not easy for overseas visitors. | Verna |
| New Zealanders have ALL been educated in English from our first day at school However young or old we are. | Melva |
| Languages evolve naturally. To force, by government fiat or reward, Maori into English for moral or political purposes is unhelpful, demeaning and never acceptable | Steve |
| ABSOLUTELY YES | Patricia |
| English is the language of the majority in New Zealand and English is the officially recognised international language. Using Maori without English translations is a way of hiding the real meaning of something from the majority. | C |
| Speak either or. Not a mixture. It is insulting to all | Lindsay |
| Better still, get rid of all Maori words and terms in all communication. Why the pandering to the minority ?? | Gordon |
| If any communication is to be used, official or otherwise, it should automatically come with translation if not in the common language of New Zealand- English | Trevor |
| Why are so many place names etc. being changed to Maori ? NZ already has lots of Maori place names. Not everything should be changed – I would say nothing more be changed & I am really sick of it. | John |
| This mishmash of mixed language is confusing and I fear our future young people will travel overseas and find that their language is not understood. No problem with people learning Maori but learn it in its entirety not this pidgin approach. | Adrienne |
| Greetings should be in English too. | Deidre |
| Why should there be Maori word in an English document? Why not have a full Maori version if required? | Wayne |
| why not if you go overseas and only talk maori who going to understand u | mervyn |
| Maori is our official second language but even so it would benefit everyone if a translation was provided | Colin |
| All ‘official’ communications should be provided in English only, and also in Maori only and braille only. | David |
| Of course!!!!. | Douglas |
| English is the global language and Maori is becoming too common and is being thrust upon us by the media and other Government departments all forced by this crooked Government it is a pity that Luxon isn’t more vocal on the issue and support Seymour. | ken |
| It is bloody obvious why this should be required. | frank |
| By a strange coincidence, all the words inserted into otherwise straightforward English seem to be Maori. This blatant attempt to force people to learn a Maori vocabulary would be better served by adding the translation anyway! | Mike |
| “Official” communications in English should be written in English; NOT a word salad of Te Reo replacing numerous English words, thus rending the document incomprehensible. A Te reo version in full should be provided for the non english speaking segment of the community; also versions in Mandarin, Samoan, etc etc.. Lets just stick to English for communication purposed, and concentrate on raising the standard of English language and useage teaching in our schools. | Bob |
| Isn’t that at least common courtesy on the part of the author or agency that publishes the document? | Pieter |
| Better yet keep to English in all official documents- keep moari for the marae | Clive |
| Commen sense but than JaINDA SOESNT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS | john |
| We have a first class language, why add a second class language unspoked everywhere else and mainly here also. | Colin |
| Yes, a written communcation such as a government information bulletin, or a newspaper article for that matter, should be in plain and simple English, and there absolutely must be a translation if another language word or phrase is incorporated. While I can accept the odd phrase in Latin or Maori, the language I speak in this country (and the language generally used by New Zealanders) is English. When words of another language are inserted confusion is certain among the great majority of New Zealanders. I have every sympathy with those who wish to preserve the Maori language in our country but for heaven’s sake we must accept that it is not understood even, and almost certainly never will be, by a majority even of those claiming to be Maori. | ROB |
| Definitely | Laurie |
| Yes ! Most definitely. It’s getting harder & harder to understand the news / weather & just ‘where’ things are happening. | Leon |
| Years ago, Maori language TV and radio was set up to cater for Maoris. Now they want to take over the English language National Radio and TV. The government has renamed most government departments, place names and other labels in Maori. The result is that the majority of English speakers cannot understand what the newsreader is talking about. I don’t understand Maori and don’t wish to listen to it. Adding a translation is needed but is a poor substitute for making a sentence twice as long with half of it in Maori. That is just an irritation. I don’t listen to commercial radio because of the advertising and now National Radio is being ruined that leaves just Concert FM which is fine by me but has little news presentation. | CHRIS |
| Better never use any language except English | Peter |
| Don’t use Maori words. | John |
| Both radio and print media are rapidly becoming incomprehensible due to the insertion of Maori words. On radio these words are often pronounced so quickly that one cannot recognise them even when one has a very basic knowledge of the Maori language. We have no way of knowing what has been said. | Paloma |
| We are bombarded on a daily basis with Maori having disproportionate exposure . This government is the most divisive administration that I’ve seen in 50 years | peter |
| Issue all official documents in pure English and pure Maori only. Then we can study and understand the information in our language of CHOICE | Tjaart |
| Official communication should be in English and the same translated into Maori _ NOT a mixture of the two. If there is an English word for a concept there is absolutely NO reason whatsoever not to use it. If the word in ONLY in Maori, give an English description of the concept. I am thoroughly sick and tired of a mixture of languages in one sentence! | elsie |
| I have lived Canada and the US who both have multiple national languages and everything is English first as the majority % language spoken, then other languages translated after in completeness. It ridiculous to think a Govt with a predominantly english speaking population could contemplate anything else. | tracie |
| If we can’t understand the message it can’t be a “communication” | Christine |
| It is rude in the least to have Maori words used in English articles and during meetings, without the courtesy of a translation. | Glenn |
| If not we should reply to rude communications from bureaucrats with the odd Latin, Welsh or Afrikaans word or phrase thrown in. This will require bureaucrats to fill their days using Google Translate! The government’s social engineering of our language into pidgin English will make NEW ZEALANDERS a laughing stock in the wider world. | David |
| Any official communication should be able to be understood clearly in English | Michael |
| If my name went to print, should I expect my lineage Back to Queen Victoria’s cousin to be added after my name?? as is done in Stuff publications. It has got that way that I am not reading many storeys in the Dom and Christchurch press as they are so disjointed | paul |
| Absolutely, totally and that is non-negotiable in my view | mike |
| The bastardisation of English language has diluted the strength of the messages being communicated and is unnecessary | Trevor |
| Its done in U K with the Wealch and Scots | Michael |
| ideally we should have only one language ENGLISH | Paula |
| Absolutely yes. The English language is accepted globally as a universal means of communication. Most NZ citizens don’t understand Maori let alone the rest of the developed world. I have no problem with anyone learning Maori for preserving cultural tradition, but not as an alternative NZ means of communication which will lead to mis-interperation of our laws and business practices | Graeme |
| I don’t understand why Maori words/names/terms should be included in documents that have no direct relevance to Maori in whatever shape or form | Laurie |
| A translation should not be required everytime if the same Maori word is used more than once in the same paragraph. | Gregory |
| All our communications involving New Zealanders should be in English. All New Zealanders were taught English. | William |
| I don’t speak Maori. | Paul |
| It is an oxymoron for a “plain language” document to include a combination of more than one language | Gil |
| In 1960 the then PM of Singapore bailed from Malaysia because Malaysia wanted Malay as the national language Lee Keown Yu said Singapore is a multi cultural society and the only society ,was English. Its the same here | robin |
| This a must for all New Zealanders | Malcolm |
| Yes! Because this is principally an English Speaking country; and We the People, are entitled to know what and whom we are dealing with. It is our Right! | Heather |
| Absolutely! In a primarily English speaking country and English being one of the main international languages of business & global communication, it is the height of ignorance and hubris not to have a translation across all mediums; afterall what is the meaning of communication. | Carol |
| Absolutely! | Phil |
| Who knows marori? | Warren |
| The continuing nonsense from RNZ announcers of inserting far too much maori in their broadcasts is, at times, just incomprehensible babble. It is not understood by the vast majority of listeners, maori or not. | dave |
| Absolutely | David |
| Why should there be any other written language apart from English in ANY Govt communications as English is the FIRST language of this country Called NEW ZEALAND, if this bent govt wants to print information for other nationality’s who live in this country put out separate communiques in their language BUT DO NOT CONTAMINATE a World recognized language with a made up load of neanderthal grunts that a few halfcast halfwits and our dictator call a language and want the rest of us to learn. NO THANK YOU | Richard |
| as Te Reo imports new words into daily use, the importance of translation into English each time these words are used is necessary to ensure understanding by the recipient of the communication. a good example is the Canadian practice of including both languages in official documents. | Baden |
| If not translated to the internationally accepted language of information transmission | Max |
| I am hopeless at Maori pronounciation | Karen R |
| There should NOT be any foreign language be included at all. It would become a real big mess if RNZ and TVNZ has to translate a non known word. | Peter |
| No need for Maori words at all. Are there any Maori who don’t speak English? If there are, do an entire translation for them same as is done for all other languages in NZ. | Grunt |
| So many new words in Te Reo are popping up and in some cases the words are so new there isn’t an english translation available. As there are many different means for so many Te Reo words it is imperative an appropriate translation is provided | T |
| English is the primary spoken language in NZ. There are adds on tv now that use words spoken in Maori and we do not know what the add says. | noel |
| English is the first language of New Zealand. The greater majority of New Zealanders speak English and understand English. | Ann |
| most people including Maori’s will never learn the stone age language thats for sure. | Norm |
| The use of vocabulary that only a small percentage of the population is fluent in disadvantages the majority and is anti democratic. | Brett |
| It’s just common sense really, but this govt wouldn’t know common sense if they tripped over it. | Donna-Maree |
| Maori language has no place in official communications whatsoever. Fi’s comments below echo my thinking: It should be voluntary to learn Te Reo which for all but Maori it is of no use. I am offended that this is being forced upon us by the ‘bought’ media. I was interested to learn Te Reo at one stage but this forced application has completely put me off. Now hearing it just angers me and I’m not alone in that. | Tony |
| Mumbo jumbo stone age language has no place in todays world. Grow up and get real.If maori want to use it fair enough,just stop pushing it down peoples throats who have no use for it,or have no desire to learn it.By the way ,we live in New Zealand not that other stupid name. | Ross |
| All official communications should be in English. With added addendums in other languages where it is appropriate to meet the need of those language speakers. The English overrides any interpretation of the saddened | Murray |
| No official communication should include Maori unless the recipient has indicated they want and understand such language. Better that Maori was ONLY included in communications to those Maoris who want such as well. Presumably only to those people on the Maori electoral roll. Simply do NOT mix the two languages in any one document. | Bryan |
| It appears to me & my family that the Government under Adern,s leadership is doing its dambdest to undermind Our Countrys our language basis to create a P C nonsence agenda which would damage our culture and the country. We are totally against this political interferance. | Brian |
| Preferably NOT using languages other than English…. | Lionel |
| Absolutely especially in premises | Christina |
| Of course. Otherwise we have learnt nothing from the debacle that the Treaty of Waitangi has morphed into. | Gary |
| Do we need non-English words at all? English is such a rich vibrant language it doesn’t need propping up with some primitive gobbledygook. | Jenny |
| The current practice of including non-English words in official communications – it does not make sense at all | Gerhard |
| It’s a no brainer really. Further, the govt has contracted a company to monitor social media to see what people think of Covid. That is step one, next will be monitor every aspect of our lives. Scary indeed. We got what we voted for. | Ray |
| I am sick and tired of no English translation on lots of TV sites.Maori is not our first language I don’t intend to learn it I loath having to see and hear it spoken | Ian |
| More and more Maori words are being used in the news on TV and radio making the meaning incomprehensible. | Jan |
| Cut out Maori completely,this is an English speaking nation.Save time,money and frustration. One country one people,.We are a multicultural nation now not bi cultural. | brian |
| Absolutely, I believe we have all had enough of this nonsense where we see or hear news articles, advertising etc, full of maori language. The cost to different organizations to follow this directive must be horrendous of which we are all paying for. | Lawrie |
| Absolutely. There’s far too much Maori being used in media with no explanation of the meaning. The majority of society will never be fluent Maori speakers. | Dave |
| Official documents in English should be in English.Official documents in Maori should be in Maori. How would Maori react if English words or Asian words were included in the Maori version (with or without translation)? Stop contaminating one language with another. | Natalie |
| Of course, of course, there should be a translation – duh. Here we go again – MORE reverse racism. It has to be stopped BEFORE we are totalled fecked. | Brian |
| It is far to confusing having it transferring from language to language and becomes incomprehensible to the average NEW ZEALANDER | JOHN |
| There needs to be an accurate translation for those who don’t speak other languages including Maori. | Keren |
| We are an english speaking country, and most of the world can understand us and the reverse especially in business and commerce. Maori is very interesting in its context, and its antiquity, all of us should be interested in this aspect, but thats it. The world has moved on. I have travelled the world, New Zealand is not Aotearoa, and is not thought of as any thing other than New Zealand. Interestingly many of the people I have met and talked with were fascinated with New Zealand, and were looking forward to visiting to view the “natives” living in their grass huts etc. this is absymal. | bob |
| Another underhanded way of slipping things through. They can say “but we told you” | Vicky |
| This Labour government is determined to destroy one of the earliest democracies in recent history. All Kiwis should unite to show them the back door. They have no mandate at all. | Jan |
| NZ should register English as official language in law.Maori and Sign language are only registered languages in NZ law.Therefore most spoken tongue is ENGLISH and we are in a position of losing this with. this type of Government | Jill |
| English only please, we need the maori language for what ?? | mike |
| If the “official communication ” is in English it should NOT include Maori or any other language. | Terry M |
| Introducing California type recall legislation is needed in NZ and prevent such command and control laws from undermining democracy. | Norman |
| Ka pai (you bet!) | Fred |
| Unless referring to a specific Maori subject, official communications should not contain any words that 99% of the population doesn’t understand. | George |
| I voted no in this poll because I suspect it will lead to as much nit picking and waffle as the labour proposal. | Judy |
| It makes sense of an otherwise piece of nonsense. If it cannot be understood then what is the point of inserting the non English word(s) | Derek |
| The language we all use from day to day has to be standardised or we will be attempting to speak Esperanto to each other so we can be understood and we all know how hopelessly that worked out. Speaking to each other in this confusing time has to be by the commonly taught and used language called English and then scientific and technical language will also thrive and explain the future we all understand and share. | Ray |
| Yes get sick of all these none english word they think they are smart in there conversations | Russell |
| Everyone is getting tired of the Maorification of the manipulated media outlets. The Maori equivalent of all English is completely false An example of this: All information on schools board of trustees elections is now in Maori. Nominations by Maori for boards is around 1-2% | Murray |
| Yes – or just simply make English the “official” language for “official communications”! | Scott. |
| A no brainer | joe |
| Absolutely. English is the official language for many good reasons . Stick to it. stop reinventing how government is run . Fire the extra 14,000. we cant afford them. stop robbing the taxpayers. IE:- the private sector taxpayers. | bruce |
| Why complicate with another language that is not required as all Maori speak English but only a very small minority speak Maori. | Vaughan |
| Absolutely, yes. Indubitably. | Jude |
| All ‘official’ communications should be written in English only: it is the only lingua franca (common language) of this country. There is no need for the common fad of dropping Maori phrases into every communication. | Annette |
| The majority should not have to put up with what a minority and a socialistic government demand | Geoffrey |
| If words from a different language are not translated, then the communication is far from plain and simple and it is incomplete. | Janet |
| Definitely. What percentage of Maori people can speak and understand the language of their ancestors? Rather few, I suspect. I have asked a few if they can understand it, and they have all answered that they are not one wit interested in it. | Kevan |
| It is a slippery slope we are on and, if we don’t stand up and say, “NO!!”, we are going to lose our freedom. | Gary |
| This problem is no different to road names that are being changed all the time. Or Government departments changing their names. And Auckland is still Auckland to me and not Tamaki Makaura, which I have to really think what/where is that again. I find all this changing for the sake of changing, annoys me greatly and the height of rudeness with no translation provided. | anita |
| It makes perfect sense as we are an English speaking nation. | Robert |
| We on way to use of Pigeon English | thomas |
| 90% of the population do not understand the Maori names of Government Departments | Graham |
| Definitely | Dave |
| Most genuine Kiwis are totally fed up with the Te Reo being forced down our throats with or without translations. There is Maori TV Channel & if anyone wants to watch/listen to the Maori language, then they can watch that particular TV Channel. So, leave TV & Radio for English speaking to stop all the PC BS that goes on in all broadcasting, all these Neo-Liberals trying desperately to take over every aspect of our lives, even trying to force us ti use a language that most of us choose NOT to use, enough is enough…! | Bruza |
| Absolutely necessary when dealing with official communications, contracts and public announcements as well as media articles. | Jon |
| Absolutely. | Colleen |
| NZ speaks English, a world recognised language where Te Reo has substantial limitations even in knowledge by their supporters | Ian |
| Totally sick of the prevalence of Te Lingo everywhere you turn. Labour are using this as a smokescreen to confuse and obfuscate the general population by craftily bringing in legislation that no one understands. | Phill |
| English only Please with no other language inclusions. We turned off five years ago to any radio/TV in New Zealand. They told us years ago, control the language and you have control of the people and still we did not listen. At what point will New Zealanders Say Enough! you’d better decide soon. | Sam |
| Yes, this should be required. Many occasions when I have had to look up the meaning of some maori text, it results in inserting something that is complete nonsense. | Neil |
| As a long time teacher In Maori schools I see no advantage in slotting in Maori language into an English sentence. It only confuses the meaning as each language carries a differing cultural value | Anthony |
| I am concerned about this pidgin english increasingly happening in nz, I can’t even understand anymore some of the presenters on tv and radio and find it abhorrent. | rhonda |
| And also if any communications are in a language other than English then a true and accurate translation in English is to be given with it. Any word that can be ambiguous in meaning must have the meaning explained in true context of the communication. | Kevin |
| If 16% of the population is Maori and only 20% of those speak Maori (less for reading) then why are we wasting time and money on promoting a ceremonial language for day to day commerce ? | John |
| It actually should ONLY be In English!! | Jan |
| English is spoken and understood by millions of people. We do not need co-moari here as well | Tony |
| It would be common courtesy | trish |
| Absolutely !!! The huge majority of us have had a gutsful of the bastardising of our English language and the promulgation of the MINORITY. | Alan |
| Why put out info if 96% of citizens dont understand. Only 4% of new zealanders are fluent maori speakers. | Bev |
| I do not speak Maori and have no intention of learning. I was only taught English at school in NZ so lets stick with English. | Neil |
| Definitely !!! | David |
| -no what purpose would that serve?-if 10% of the population don”t speak or read our english they should stop moaning or leave our country | james |
| Half of a news bulletin is gibberish to non maori speakers NO I wont be forced to learn it. | Robert |
| Far to much un translated Maori used on tv and radio. | Gare |
| To not do so is sureptitious coercion to learn Maori, which is psychological manipulation. | Jane |
| What a load of rubbish. We live in an English speaking country. | William |
| There should not be non English words in an official communication. If official communications are required in another language, they should be written entirely in that language. | Dennis |
| Including a translation is the minimum. Ideally there should be no bastardisation of either language and a full version in Maori should be published in addition to the English version. “Manglish” is not acceptable. | Tom |
| If there is no translation included, the reader may not fully understand what is written. In Canada, during a parliamentary discussion, the speakers often switch from English to French which must cause confusion to those who aren’t fluent in one or other languages. This is just another “Ardern trick” to push Maori into common use even though the majority of the population at this time are not fluent in Maori. | Gifford |
| Although I put “Yes” in the vote, I think, alternative words in an English transcript shouldn’t be there in the first place. It is totally disrespectful to the reader to have these alternate language words included. | Arthur |
| I just would like to see only English used if it is important correspondance and non of the Maori stuff dropped in on this English, no one can understand it including a lot of Maori. | Barbara |
| The onus is always on the writer of a document to ensure that it is intelligible. The recipient is never under any obligation to interpret what is written. | Alan |
| Previous answer read wrong, it’s already happening on one of the COVID tv ads | Irena |
| Absolutely not | Irena |
| And soon | Pam |
| English is the international language and all official communication must be written/spoken in English. | Elizabeth |
| Absolutely, already there are so many Maori words and phrases used by the media which I have no clue at times what is being said. In Hawkes Bay hospital all the direction signage is firstly in Maori and english is below in smaller print,Why when english is the primary language used in this country by the vast majority of people. We are becoming more and more Maori-ised daily, mixed languages just creates confusion. | Peter |
| Absolutely, the current situation is quite ridiculous and I for one am not interested in learning Maori. Anyway those who call themselves Maori have their own news programme | Tom |
| In fact, any communication in written or verbal means, should be in English with Maori translations in parenthesis to follow. | Robin |
| Maori should not be included in official communications at all, or provided separately on request. | Blair |
| Once again this government is trying to hood wink the public. The most undemocratic government we have ever had. | Allan |
| If the message is to be presented in English, make all the vocabulary in English. The point of the communication can be lost if a mish-mash of languages are used. | Rodger |
| The meaning of any Maori wording in a mainly English piece of writing must have the Maori words explained as only about 4% of the NZ population speak Maori. Already the Maori names of some of our Government entities is most confusing. | Neil |
| The news and our programs such as “Newshub Nation” have been so cluttered with a mix of English and Maori that they are almost unintelligible. When Red Cindy pontificates from the pulpit of truth, translations are provided for the deaf. However, for the over 90% of NEW ZEALANDERS who do not speak one of the many dialects of Maori there is no translation or explanation. So much for the team of 5 million. | Joseph |
| All communications should be in the English language which is our official language. They should not be interspersed with Maori words. It’s like reading pidgeon english and is not understood by most of the population. No wonder NZ is at the bottom of the OECD for science, maths etc when rubbish like this comes from our illiterate and useless so-called government leaders. They are only good for nothing, Get rid of them all. | valerie |
| Maori shouldn’t be used at all. We are an English speaking country so all “official” communications should be in English only. I’m sick and tired of having Maori words used when there is a perfectly good English word. | Kerry |
| Most Kiwi’s understand English. Not many understand other non-English words. | Denis |
| English is the only language understood by all New Zealanders and should therefore be used in all official government and legal and other important documents. Language 101. | John R L |
| BUT ENGLISH ONLY SHOULD BE USED FOR ALL OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS. NO MAORI TO BE USED | sheryl |
| This is only common sense. | jill |
| I continue to be shocked by the direction this govt is taking in regard to our so-called freedoms. | Janet |
| As it was in South Africa | Shaun |
| Language in a democracy should be considerate to everyone. | Ant |
| ALL renditions of ANY laws need to be comprehensible to ALL literate citizens. If foreign words are used, including Maori, they need to be accompanied by accurate and true descriptions. We don’t need any more fights about what something means in another language, as in the debacle over the Treaty. We have had at least two honourable Maori leaders examine the two languages of the original Treaty. Both Hone Heke and Sir Apirana Ngata agreed that the English and Maori texts meant the same thing. | Joyce |
| A filmed snippet of a police officer punching an elderly man behind a van until he was senseless on the ground, who appeared to have done nothing threatening, was circulated widely in Australia, to the horror of all who saw it and could not believe it was happening in NZ. Ardern’s “be kind” only seems to apply to the people that do not confront her or her decisions. We have her blithely ignoring peoples democratic rights on several fronts from the Rotorua debacle to 3 waters Maybe she will live under police guard for the rest of her life in an imitation of Tony Blair.. Remember A vote for Labour is a vote for communism. | Terry |
| English is a main language | Steve |
| Emphatically all non English words should have an English interpretation to them , otherwise how are non speakers of the non English words used supposed to understand the document. | Bryan |
| But only the first time in an article or radio or TV programme. Otherwise it would be treating us as infants, and with no short term memory.. But also, Maori phrases have many meanings, and if in the context of an article etc, the meaning of a phrase or word has changed, then a translation should be given. Wanting to try to understand more of the Maori language I have attempted to read the alongside translations in The National Library, Te Papa, Art exhibitions etc. But no good. They are not translations at all but a different spin or opinion or history of the item. That is exclusion and a form of lying. | Rochelle |
| We may be bi lingual but we should honour both languages especially in official statements | tony |
| Of course | Gail |
| The present situation of using many Maori words makes the communication un-intelligable & older folk (80 ) are not about to learn Maori. I just switch the TV or Radio off.. It is a nonsense!! | Evelyn |
| Official communication should also include TV1 and TV3 news bulletins. | Michele |
| If the proposal is for communications to be in plain English then surely by definition there should be no Maori words included unless there is no English equivalent? | Fletcher |
| English is the most communicative language in the world and is recognised as such. So English has to be the best for universal communication. | John |
| This government has proved they are a bunch of ‘yes’ people to comrade Jacinda and her incompetent ministers and are actually creating a racist country | Kevin |
| Yes of course, it is only commonsense, oh I forgot that is normal(?) these days. | Fraser |
| Inclusion of foreign and Maori words in all official communications should provide an English translation. | Peter |
| Absolutely. Main language is English, that’s all it should be. Don’t need Maori at all. | Graeme |
| I am a 5th generation European New Zealander, I will refuse to stand in a New Zealand courtroom where Maori is being spoken with an interpreter. | Phillip |
| When including an English translation of the odd Maori word included a written communication, we may ask, what is the communicative value-added of including the Maori words in the first place? | Ralph |
| Also all Maori names of government or council services or organisation should be removed, likewise all recently place names changed to maori | Tony |
| I believe that only English should be spoken and those of Maori descent can speak the language in their homes or listen to the Maori TV channel. What other countries in the world mix their language with English. Australia is an example we can look to however will they learn from NZ. Schools should concentrate on perfecting the English language as it is certainly in need of some attention. | Noeline |
| Absolutely, especially when used on mainstream networks ie Television and newspapers. | John |
| I’m tired of written communications in English that do not provide the English version of Maori words in the text as I do not speak nor understand Maori and English is the language of the vast majority of New Zealanders. | Terry |
| Absolutely- I turned off the radio because I couldn’t understand anything that was being said. I’ve had comments to newspaper articles moderated out, just because I said that the Three water regions were exactly the same as Tribal areas. The newspaper obviously didn’t want other people to know the truth! Why we in the top of the South are grouped in with Wellington etc. I can’t wait until we vote them out! | Laura |
| Most definitely | Gwenda |
| I have no idea what they are talking about and tend to change channel or station | Carl |
| It ought to have been standard practice for years!! | Michael |
| Yes, however should we not have the English word or sentence before the other as it is the most spoken language in NEW ZEALAND. I noticeTVNZ allows the opposite, of course they would they seem to be afraid not to. | Owen |
| I voted ‘No’ because Maori words should not be sprinkled through an ‘official’ document at all. Using Maori words plus a translation will make a document look like a dog’s dinner. English is our dominant language and any ‘official’ documents should reflect this. | Sherrin |
| Yes or demand that the Comrade provides some ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHANNELS and some channels that no provide state sponsored propaganda. Pidgin English is strictly for the birds The Country is stuffed. | Bruce |
| The current system creates confusion – something our current govt promotes | Denise |
| i abhor maori culture | chris |
| Yes. However, as Russell Brand said – “if it offends you, don’t watch it! So, we totally rely on other true news sources now such as this NZCPR newsletter and Russell’s short videos’ on YouTube – the public comments and his 5.5 million followers are very worthy. Can’t even watch NZ made programmes like Fair Go anymore. Sometimes watch the forecast on mute but Metvuw.com is way better anyway and shows you exactly where the weather is – no sudden ‘weather bombs’ if you look at this outlet. Change what you view while this gubbamint is not working for the majority! | Debs & Co |
| Yes most definitely | David |
| We live in a country where Maori is spoken by 2% of the population. It is utterly ridiculous for government, councils and media to use Maori words that most people do not understand. Mixing the languages simply bastardises both languages and is utterly ridiculous. | Nick |
| Maori words added into Government documents creates word soup which without translation renders many such communications nonsensical – what’s the point? | Roy |
| Absolutely, the language for all forms communication should be in English, full stop. | Mike |
| There is too much Maori being used in general day use. The KISS principle is very simple | John |
| Mandarin, German or French would be more useful, Change is necessary. | Samuel |
| For GOD’s sake when is this nonsense perpetrated by the non-representative Maori lot and their dirty white sympathisers going to get over this wokeness. I now no longer read the NZ Herald as key words in some of their articles, I simply do not comprehend, nor do I want to. | Tim |
| I want official communications to be written/spoken in English. Should other nationalities require a translation, it should be provided separately. | Nyle |
| Absolutely. A no brainer in fact | John |
| The relentless drive by Stalinda and Co. to subvert and replace the English language with a dead one that few use or understand, is yet another control mechanism for their impending Marxist tribal takeover. Time to put a stop to it NOW. | John |
| We are evolving into a pidgin English country. Time to learn and use a language that can be understood and is the basis of business and commerce worldwide – English | Frank |
| I am fed up especially on TV when every news story is introduced with some mumbled up Maori phrase. This has to stop. It’s arrogant and unnecessary. | Anon |
| I’ve signed the petition. | Dick |
| The inclusion of terms other than English, most recently the extensive use of maori words and phrases, often renders the sentence or paragraph, and sometimes the entire story, incomprehensible. Accurate translation of any terms in language other than English is vital. | Gavin |
| This govt is forcing NZ to become a racially divided country & to lose all respect for each other & their traditions. This is not who we are! | Loretta |
| I am fed up with news readers and adverts that I cannot understand. I no longer listen to the National Radio programs. | Steve |
| especially on the ‘news’ on RNZN her name is Lisa Owen. English has to come first not Maori. | Ian |
| In the same way New Zealanders would object if the Mandarin language suddenly because used by media and the like. I don’t object to any language being used, but have the courtesy of allowing me to understand what is being said, if English is my preferred language. | Don |
| This is a must!!! | Jim |
| Sick of the ever increasing apartheid rules in this Country | Bryan |
| Definitely think this is important., so that we can actually learn what the Maori words mean. | June |
| Totally sick of having a language with no global use whatsoever rammed down my ears. Stop the racist propaganda dominating our media. | Alan |
| Te Reo is a come lately make up of about 10 different regional native dialects (thats if you call Maori native). So the translation would be a shambles as well. Be very interested in the english translation of ‘Kura Takahi Puni ‘ | Warwick |
| It is common courtesy and good manners to allow everyone to be able to read text and content. | Lee |
| Not many can understand all the add on Maori words | Rick |
| Not only is it annoying but surely English is the major language so why is the Maori bit placed in front of the English words? This makes it harder to read and understand what is being said. I have no problem with Maori language being used between Maori speaking people but don’t foist it on the rest of us that have no interest in it at all. | Garry |
| Yes, and it might actually help people learn what some of the maori words are, just a thought? And if we don’t want to learn maori, at least we can understand what is being said. | bevan |
| Definitely as one does not know what is being discussed ie mountains, places etc | Jon |
| I will not tolerate being forced to learn or use a language that is of no use or interest to me | clive |
| Unless this happens you do know what is being discussed | Carolyn |
| Cant learn a language if u have no idea what it means. | su |
| Better still do not use any maori words.,its a primitive language and of no use to anybody. | Mike |
| English is the language 99% of Kiwis use for everyday communication. Street names and towns also have significance for those other than Maori should remain as they are. We are at present undergoing a dictatorial phase in our history. A few people are managing to impose their unwanted views on the majority. | Janine |
| as soon as I hear announcements with maori words inserted I switch off. Its rude not to give a translation. | Joan |
| All Government communication should be easily understood Therefore any language used that is not the current customary language ie English does require interpretation to avoid the Government’s keeping everyone informed. | Rex |
| Absolutely yes otherwise its a travesty that we who are not literate in Maori or Manderin have no idea of the content of the communication which could be abusive | Stephen |
| We need to remove ourselves completely from the UN, stand as New zealanders not UN and USA puppets, free to decide where we want to take our country, time to reweave the basket. | Sven |
| English should now be made an Official Language of New Zealand because it is the main Language spoken in New Zealand. | Geoff |
| This tokenism has become so liberally bandied about as to be ridiculous. Obscure words like “hohipera” which even the majority of Maori don’t understand will have no meaning and therefore add risk to visitors, Pakeha and other NZ’ers alike. How can they decipher Covid messages sprinkled with that garbage. | Geoff |
| Absolutely! I often have no idea what things are saying without a translation. | Sylvia |
| Stop the steal | Chris |
| Mixing 2 languages together results in nonsense. Maori should be reserved for their own channel.Even a translation is a tedious addition to English language. | Lynda |
| Overreach of this government otherwise | Claire |
| English words FIRST then translation if required into other languages | Peter |
| English first, then Maori translation if that is completely necessary. I don’t get why they are changing all the Government departments to Maori names e.g. Waka Kotahi will always be Land Transport NZ as nobody knows what Waka Kotahi is! | Kate |
| Where are National & Act. this is common sense so WHY are they QUIET. Email their MP,s & ask WHY their party is NOT helping & supporting most NZealanders also point out their are FAR MORE other races in NZ who dont WANT,WANT & most of them are imigrants happy to be a NZealander & maori are imigrants also they came here in canoes & 1870 should never be forgotten but its time to look at the future NOT 200 years ago & they NOW wear clothes,live in houses ETC ETC so ASK Willie Jackson ETC ETC if they will give their house & english clothex up & live in the past as maori lived. | Cindy |
| Just plain common sense – rather rare today! | Simonne |
| When is Ardern going to be arrested? | Chris |
| Of Course | Bryce |
| Predictable. Just another hidden agenda. | Vonne |
| Using odd Maori words here and there is NOT going to advance the Maori language amongst the population. It is pure tokenism. and brainwashing.. | Graeme |
| I don’t know what they are saying half the time .|it is just another form of indoctrination | Arthur |
| but why write everything twice Stick to our main language . | Alan |
| English is the international language | Tony |
| This will be an immensely practical move to improve clarity in our national communication. It would also remove a severe annoyance for the great majority of Kiwis who must suffer Maori words being rammed down their throats, while being offered no incentive to expand their Maori vocabulary. With no recorded Maori histories, literature, poetry, science or even diaries, and with English in universal use, there’s no call for Maori in communication. In fact one must wonder whether any incentive exists for non-Maoris to learn the language. | Richard |
| 70% of New Zealanders do not speak or have any intention of learning Maori, a language that has no use in business life, Worldwide negotiations, or Trade. What use is this new Act if 70% of Public cannot understand those words stated in Maori. Another useless, waste of public funds!! | Robyn |
| although NOT an official Language, English is the most used in NZ & on legal documents. If full legal comprehension is needed then a correct translation from Maori onto such documents must be included. | Nick |
| Every person in New Zealand speaks English, why should we have to spend yet MORE MONEY for Maori versions, it’s gone too far with everything now being changed to Maori from advertisements for vaccine, news, street and place names, and most of all our country name, a lot of steps of role reversal have taken place in the last few years, no wonder a huge percentage of our kids are doing so poorly at school having to learn Maori instead of English. | Laurie |
| English must be the main heading in all communications as we are an English Speaking Nation | Leo |
| Definitely not. We were all brought up using the English language here in New Zealand and all Immigrants who came here to better their own lives need to get a grip of the English language. Any other language spoken is by personal choice only. | Wayne |
| But because so few people in New Zealand understand the Maori language i.e.between 4% and 11% it should not be needed at all. | DEavid |
| I must take exception to your statement that Ardern has ‘ revealed herself to be untrustworthy and untruthful’ in February. She did that much earlier in her career, and continues to do so by her speech and body language nearly every time she condescends to address her subjects – us. | TOBY |
| This is really important. For example, have you tried reading Dept of Education policy docs lately? Very difficult to comprehend – goodness only knows what they’re hiding from the 95% of NZers who don’t speak or understand Maori – and yet we are also the taxpayers who fund their very existence. | Wendy |
| There is no need to use non-English words anyway. | Paul |
| Most definitely. I am not interested in learning the maori language. It is not used anywhere else in the world. Watching TV, where their talking heads are required to use maori phrases is laughable to listen to. Suddenly out of their mouths they utter some garbled sound and then continue speaking in English. Those people and any woke type others sound and look stupid. | Darryl |
| Obviously. Clarity is of particular importance in official documents and if an attempt to mongrelise the language is being made, the correct interpretation of the document is paramount. | Robbie |
| There would be many sectors of society disenfranchised by failure to translate into English. Older adults not taught Maori in school, immigrants for whom English is a second language forced to learn a third. As such failure to use English language primarily in official documents and State broadcasts including all media communications is inherently discriminatory and therefore unjust and plain wrong. | Christina |
| They shouldn’t be using the stone aged te lingo in official communication anyway. | Murray |
| It is pointless speaking to someone in a foreign language. It is up to Maori to keep their language alive, not every other ethnicity in NZ. | Frank |
| Time that English be made THE OFFICIAL language of NEW ZEALAND. Let Te Reo remain in Maori Homes, And make one Law for All. to Honour the TReaty. | Don |
| Absolutely yes. It is totally ludicrous the way it is going now. | lyn |
| YES, YES, YES! | Carl |
| Yes, plain english after all that’s what most of us speak. | COLIN |
| I find it insulting to see Maori words I don’t understand replacing English words. It is corrupting the English language! | Colin |
| Yes. It should be mandatory that ALL public communications are in English and ALL proceedings in government and council meetings are conducted in English. Whether some people like it or not English is the main language of NZ and understanding of proceedings by the majority should not be obfuscated by allowing selfish people to use other languages in what is nothing more than a rude and crude form of “protest”. What languages people use when speaking privately within their own communities is their choice. The upsurge of Manglish forced by Labour within the media in particular is a shameful travesty. | Steve |
| Don’t use non-English words in English texts. It is tricky defining where this ends. Do you add a translation for “”deja vue ”? When does a word become common usage? Maori or French? I would say that dejas vue should not be used in Government English text. | Reeve |
| Most Maori over 40 have no interest in speaking/learning more Te Reo. Therefore why are we burdened nightly by TV1 in having a gable of Te Reo every time a presenter appears or disappears from a program. It is unnecessary, ridiculous and infuriating. | Alastair |
| Would prefer all communication in English only | Janne |
| Just Google any words, English or other, that you don’t know. | Barbara |
| Getting tired of all the maori words being used in advertisements, especially govt funded ones | Ian |
| Definitely as the growing use of untranslated announcements on radio and news is so frustrating. Not everyone has the desire of ability to learn Maori language. English is the established language understood by all New ZeLanders. | Kay |
| At the moment many comments with a NEW Maori word is difficult to understand. Translation is required | Richard |
| communications should be in one language or another, not both. | john |
| English is the required medium for ‘business’ communication WORLDWIDE. Even the Chinese recognise that – and they are not silly. | Gill |
| Thats just common sense something this Govt lacks | Tony |
| but really an English communication should be just that in English but would not stop the use of most common Nouns in any language | Noel |
| Yes. But it is unnecessary to have Maori language there in the first place. Lets have plain English and have everyone educated to understand it., no exceptions. Likewise voting papers should be presented in English only. If people cant read English, how can they understand the vote. | Carole |
| DOESN’T MAKE SENSE AS IT IS | TERRY |
| If communications are to be in “plain english” there should be no other language used. | Kevin |
| Include ‘Street’ signposts in Hamilton and elsewhere. | Colin |
| Why are we bombarded with Maori across all media when less than 2% of NZ speak Maori ? Maori are not the Indigenous peoples of New Zealand as we are falsely told but migrants from Hawaii & Labour is using this to create dissent. | Warren |
| Of course totally agree | John |
| maori are wanting to control NZ | graeme |
| I don’t want to end up speaking pigin English | errol |
| It is an exercise in normal communication. Thete is a majority of people who speak English si English should be preferred but if Te Rwo is yes there should be the English word also. | Rosemary |
| This is well overdue. | Steve |
| Absolutely. We are an English speaking nation. | Laurine |
| yes this s again part of the divide and rule that this communist govt is trying to foist on us and as only about 5% of us can understand maori why should we have to put up with this shit | eric |
| I THINK THE WAY IT IS OPERATING NOW IS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GUILTY FOR NOT UNDERSTANDING MAORI WORDS(PART MAORI WORDS}TO HELP THIEIR DIVIDE STATEGY | CRAIG |
| It’s only human to do so | Les |
| With any gov communication, even in English it requires scrutiny for intent. By adding Maori and other language words without the writer’s intent disclosed, how can one determine true intent, from any language point of view. ? | Peter |
| which of the 19 Maori dialects should it be. Ngapuhi (125,000 descendants) or Te Reo (Ngati Porou – 70,000 descendants) ? Probably neither understand the dialect of the other. There was no written Maori language ever. Why is English not an official language of New Zealand? Spare me from stupidity. | Adrian |
| NZ is an english speaking country – no other language should be used in official communications. If other languages are deemed important then publications in other languages should be made available. This is not difficult today due to the internet. “Just download a bloody PDF!!!” | Frederick |
| No brainer really. | Tim |
| Yes if you want most people to understand what is being said. | Graham |
| Absolutely. How can it be otherwise? It’s bad enough having Maori speech on television programmes, when I don’t know what they’re saying. Superfluous, ridiculous. The media should be ashamed of themselves, pandering to this nonsense. | Sheila |
| I find it very frustrating listening to the mixture of Maori and English sometimes you have little idea what’s being said and as I have no desire to speak Maori it’s frustrating why are the media so hell bent on using Maori when there are several Maori channels | Peter |
| Sick of the maorification of our beautiful English language | Kay |
| Understandable – clear – communication at all times is crucial in maintaining social harmony. | Stuart |
| Always | Alexander |
| It might help if English first became an official Language as Maori is. Dame Turiana was the lady who described what happened to Maori as a result of colonisation as a ‘”holycaust” whilst conveniently ignoring the inter -tribal Musket Wars. This kind of terminological cherry-picking is as unhelpful as labelling the current Goverment socialist, or even more wildly, communist, whilst ignoring billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s huge influence on the “free” media. | Alan |
| NZ is an English speaking country and we should NOT be forced or coerced in anyway to change our language. | Jacqueline |
| sick of this rammed down my throat … | a |
| I consider the increasing use of maori words particularly by our media, to be tokenism of the worst kind.As one with some maori ancestry I consider it plainly insulting, right up there with Dr.Ranganui Walker,s claim many years ago that printing a maori chiefs image on a souvenir teatowel was an insult. | william |
| How can any communication be considered clear and concise if an unknown language replaces the countrys’ language and is used without translation – its non sensical !!!! | Leeanne |
| Just make up your bloody mind which language you are communicating in (sorry, in which you are communicating), and stick to that. Notice that it is only kind or warm fuzzy Te Reo words that get inserted. Not even subtle. AND stop buggering up the protocols of the English language. For a start, T is pronounced “tee” not a lazy “dee” Cindy. It is the Labour parTy not parDy. Try using adverbs again. We drive safely, not safe. Just why in God’s name do the young, dubiously intelligent female TV reporters have to stand on a windy and noisy intersection that distracts the viewer while they struggle to get the hair out of their eyes so they can read meagre notes about subjects which they have no idea.. And yet, the same government wants to encourage pedantic pronoun identification throughout its departments! This woman and her henchpeople is a nightmare. Or should that be ARE a nightmare. Luxon is not coming across as our saviour and his gonads will become mighty sore if he doesn’t get off the fence soon with some forceful and positive statements of intent regarding reversing Ardern’s antidemocratic policies and deliberate incorrect interpretation of the Treaty. Creed (Ngati Pakeha, Mr, Hetro, Married to female, Tall, Attractive, Intelligent.) (sorry that last bit is her, not me!) | Creed |
| Under Jacinda and the Labour Goverment New Zealand has become a divided Nation. Beware of this Labour lot there is a saying “Divide and RULE” No thanks Labour just want you GONE….. | Carl |
| Absolutely- it’s just common courtesy | Ihaia |
| i have no idea what some Unite against covid adverts mean | g |
| The question has to be raised – why give Maori language the majority emphasis in offical documents / and government body names when only a minority of the population can understand or translate it. By all means include Maori language where it is applicable to the subject but it does not need the emphasis that it is currently being given. It is not a language of commerce! | Sharron |
| Better still, delete the non English words completely and use the English language fully. Then provide complete non English versions for other language groups. How difficult is that? Canada does it, Wales does it as does Australia for the multitude of migrant languages there present. Enough of this mongrel speak! | Colin |
| Not too many of us (especially the elderly) understand or even speak other languages. I detest the Maorification of many of our current street names. | Rosemary |
| At 17% of the population being maori thier influence should be relative ! | Peter |
| It is crass ignorance which is allowing the TV channels in particular to allow announcers to use maori words which over 90% of the population have no idea of their meaning. This is the height of arrogance. | Chris |
| It will help us all to learn some more Te Reo Maori | John |
| And not just Govt . communications .The existing Leftist Christchurch City Council seem determined using ratepayer funds to name new buildings with maori names only ,roll on local bodu elections . | Ray |
| Why waste time and money using Maori language or other languages in official communications. Only a small percentage of the population speak Maori, so why bother with it? | Richard |
| Definately! I am sick of listening to / reading gibberish | Andrew |
| As soon as you mix another language into a sentence, you have lost me. That is when I move on, I thought that we were the only dumb country that mixed language but Singapore, I’m gob smacked | murray |
| most definitely – otherwise they are deficient in understanding for the readers | rusell |
| Everyone must understand the meaning of a non-english word, | JOan and Don |
| New Zealand is in danger of ending up “bastardising” the respective languages (English and Maori) so that we end up speaking and writing something in pigeon-english (a la New Guinea). Let’s keep the languages separate !!! | Eric |
| Of course. AND, English must be ratified to be an (The) Official Language of New Zealand ! | Michael |
| I despise this socialist controlling government who are destroying New Zealand. Their sucking up to Maori is to make them dependant on Adern and her rabble and get their votes.plus ……. | Pauline |
| Otherwise it becomes a pidgin language and is unintelligible and open to mis-interpretation | Russ |
| Sick of not knowing what news readers are referring to when they chuck Maori in and don’t give English translation. | Barbara |
| Official communications and documents have a legal basis that requires precise wording to minimise the risk of misinterpretation which may alter the intended purpose of the communication. In New Zealand English is the accepted language in all official and legal matters and any alternative language must include the corresponding English version. Maori has no historical written language which invites interpretation based on the individual’s pronunciation – there is no reference check point. | Martin |
| Better still, such communications ought to be presented wholly in either English or Maori. Let’s do without the mixture altogether; the world’s lingua franca is English, so we ought to concentrate preferentially on that. | Graham |
| So the true intent of the message is documented and conveyed to the reader. | Gary |
| to avoid miscommunication for the majority | Michael |
| The 2 languages should not be mixed. The idea of language is that it is easy communication. If TVNZ news reporters want to say something in Maori, then they should translate it into English. I hate the idea of Manglish. It is no good for either language! | Steph |
| Given Te reo maori is a Constructed Language like ESPERANTO. Where is its relevance to official govt. communications in NZ ?? | BRUCE |
| Yes, and yes again. It is so rude to speak deliberately in a language that is not understood. | Florence |
| Maori want separate Justice, Health, etc. systems, so why don’t they keep their language separate from English instead of bastardising the English language? | Diane |
| The sole function of language is to communicate. Any other function is subordinate and unimportant. Clear language is vital to our society. | Roger |
| Yes, most definitely. I had a recent experience at a meeting where I needed to ask for an appropriate person to explain some of the conditions we were asked to agree to. There was some noticeable discomfort in the room when I requested an explanation. However, it was obvious by body language that most of the people in the room also needed an explanation, but nobody else was going to ask. It’s an outrage that people feel that shut down because of the fear of being accused of racism or some other jacked up hostile abuse. | dianna |
| with the manglish words in brackets | hugh |
| It would be fair for a translation to be used. | Murray |
| Official communication should be in perfect English or perfect Maori. A mixture of both is called Pijin English. This is the future language of NZ as it continues to regress. | M |
| There are Maori words being used in TV adds that I have never heard before and don’t know the meaning of. Totally loosing the message of the advertisement. | Gavin |
| No official documents should be written in ‘blended’ languages. Which down grades both languages. All documents should be completely in one language, with correct versions in other languages as required. | Roseanne |
| Most definitely. I don’t know what they are talking about half the time. It is so irritating. We need proper English or a translation but definitely not Pidgin English or Manglish. I’m completely turned off all things ‘Maori’ these days. It’s in our face every time we turn the TV on. | Helen |
| The use of this garbled pidgin is a deliberate tool to degrade intelligibility. | Trevor |
| Official communications should not be in Maori in the first place. | Mick |
| Official communications should be either in English of Maori, NOT a mixture of English and Maori which is Pijin English. | Maureen |
| Definitely – in fact I see no reason at all for Maori Words to be included unless they are place names in common useage – eg Taumarunui. | pdm |
| If it is to be an English language document then it should be all English words. If they wish to communicate in Maori a separate document should be written. We do not want Maori words in the English language. | Andrew |
| No to Manglish | John |
| yes most including myself have no idea what govt departments are what just rubbish English only | Nigel |
| Better still, all official communications should be entirely in English with a link to access them in different languages, if required. | Derek |
| We all understand English and that includes Maori people. It is not necessary to include Maori words in these communications. The Maorification of.this country is a bloody insult to the 85% of non Maori living here. | David |
| Trashing my culture. If you want the news in te reo Maori I suggest TVNZ create a new channel, called – say Maori Television – and rerun the party political broadcasts (aka News) in te reo, | Owen |
| If official communications are to be made in English they should be entirely in English and not have odd Maori words thrown in. | Mark |
| Official communication should be in plain ENGLISH (only) in the first place! | Jack |
| We do not need hotch potch | Doug |
| And English should be made an official language. | Geoff |
| English is the first language of this country and every New Zealander should be able to speak it. Our education system is based on the English language. Official communication as with any other communication is open to individual interpretation. Introducing other language words just adds confusion and would give rise to additional problems with interpretation. | Bruce |
| I am sick of having Maori language thrust down my throat in all forms of the media. I thought the Maori TV Channel was set up for those minority that wish to use Maori. | Peter |
| There is already much confusion and misunderstanding when non English words are used in formal communication | Laurence |
| English must be made an official language of New Zealand. That would solve the problem immediately. | Chris |
| Absolute nonsense as to Maori language used by less than1% of the population. Listen to the alternative language used by so many Ukrainians – it’s English – the world’s official language. Just nonsense in Marxist NZ now when more than 50% of school leavers can’t speak or write adequate English – what an economic and humanitarian disaster for NZ | Hylton |
| Yes,that is the polite way of communicating. | gale |
| Better yet – stop wrecking English by inserting maori words – it’s an insult to our language | Patrick |
| As communication is the object, then of course, otherwise one could complain of ‘lost in translation’ excuse quite readily. The object of communication, is, well – to communicate, to be understood. At present this is not happening. It’s all just a study in wokeness . Pathetic. And this should be recognised across the board, not just with official communications, but in any communication. i.e. newspapers and TV | Carolyn |
| We are going down the tubes without putins help. The red Queen wants continued power via any means. | mike |
| why should we be blame for what happened 200years ago look forward not back and take responsibility for your actions | che |
| This socialist term of government is shuddering to an end, the sooner the better. Lets help to quicken the pace. | Ken |
| Keep it simple insertion of Maori language is only political correctness gone wrong | FRANK |
| Without a doubt | David |
| I want to be able to understand and to a lesser degree, speak Maori language. Providing translations of Maori and other non-English words in ‘official’ communications supports my learning, understanding and usage of the language used. But to use un-translated words as now, I see as an abusive, destructive confrontation. | Brian |
| All govt docs should be in plain English. If need be a maori translation could be included. I’d wonder if the intent could be carried in maori and not allow manipulation as happened with the treaty. | Willy |
| There shouldn’t be mowry sprinkled through “news”,(news-praganda )in the first instance. | Terry |
| Better still do not use Maori words | Kevin |
| Absolutely! A simpler solution would be to not use non-English words in official communications at all. Another source of confusion is that modern Maori language appears to include many pidgin words, such as tiriti | Dennis |
| No as only a small % can read Maori as a country is English where spent and hire staff when this country is in debt | Lynne |
| I understand that language evolves over time but give it time and stay with the universal plain English like the majority of the free world has chosen tom do. | Rob |
| We are an English speaking country and therefore all communications must be relayed in English. Yes, we now have three official languages in New Zealand and as I don’t have any knowledge of sign I also have very little of te reo and am sure there are a lot of people in a similar position. Therefore, if the communication is not in English or translated to English, how are we to understand. | David |
| democratic rights | Dominique |
| Pre 2017, I was happily maintaining a healthy interest in Maori culture, history, and language. Now that it’s being rammed down our throats, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I have become disinterested. I know that I am not alone in this. Very sad. | Logan |
| of course | Graeme |
| In fact .. maori does not need to be included in any communications at all. Ive had a guts full of having maori rammed down our throats by news media, fuel companies, power companies, Vodafone, Air Nz, and all due to this low life Government, who are forcing our children to be indocrinated within our schools. I turn my back on anyone who utters even one word of maori to me. It is Not my language! If the uncivilized wish to speak it … let them talk to themselves. | Des |
| I prefer no Maori words, other than names, in a sentence written in English. I detest the insertion of Maori words into an otherwise English worded sentence in both printed and spoken media. National Radio and public television are disgraceful examples of pidgin being used and need a clean out. | Peter |
| I’d prefer that they not be allowed to use Maori words at all! | Brenda |
| Absolutely | Gary |
| At present : Yes. But I ‘d rather prefer them not to tamper with the English language at all. This bastardisation of our language is unacceptable. And it is a fact that the Maori language itself has a massive lack of words for everything that has to do with – say technology , engineering, physics, chemistry geology, mathematics, arithmetics geography, psychology, to name just a few examples. They had to invent words for a lot of things or alter English words to get by. This means that their traditional language has changed dramatically. Now– this problem has nothing to do with us and our language must not be abused just to accomodate some dodgy politically correct agenda. | Michael |
| And maybe we should have an English language commissioner since there is one for Maori and English should be made an official language of NZ | Bronia |
| Commonsense – we are NOT a bilingual country with so few people including Maori, not speaking Te Reo. | Louise |
| Preferably leave out maori words altogether. Those who don’t understand English can have it translated into whatever language they want. | John |
| English only | Neil |
| Absolutely! | Lesley |
| Most definitely !!! | Kevin |
| Definitely rather interesting that a minority ethnic group can have so much clout fed up with all | Barbara |
| Yes, definitely. But non-English words – including Maori – should be used rarely, and ONLY if there is not an equivalent English word that could be used | Geoffrey |
| Prefer it not mixed into English. | Frank |
| Without the definition we are starting Pigeon English similar to Pacific Island like Vanuatu. Speak English without ambiguity | Jeff |
| Just use plain English and nothing else at all | Erin |
| I’ve literally had a gutsful of this pervasive Hori lingo as it becomes increasingly pervasive in many communications. | Tony |
| Definitely! | Mike |
| It has all become a desperately worrying situation – but will enough people stand against that silly person in power? | Elizabeth |
| English is the most understood language in nz | LesW |
| Stop the attempted brainwashing | Charles |
| By using Maori mixed with English it seems to divert me away from the actual text of the message. In other words I switch off to what is being said. Which is no good when news etc is being used | Marlene |
| Yes, any communication in the public media either spoken or written in Maori should have the English translation available automatically | Doug |
| As an example, the repetitive initial gabbling in te reo by all most all of the Radio NZ apparatchiks has the effect of setting the scene for the content of what is to follow and a signal to turn the oncoming offense to ‘free speech’ OFF. | RIchard |
| I completely agree, to go to a meeting and have to just sit there and listen to Maori with out translation is a waste of work time and when there are 400 staff the productive loss is great – un acceptable | warwick |
| all people as in the rest of the world should understand english, as it is an international language | Roy |
| ALL communications including road signs etc should have translation if words other than English are used. It’s ironic to note that a lot of Maori words being used now are made up words for things maori wouldn’t have had for example cars etc. | Flip |
| There is simply no need to use other than English language in official communication. We are an English speaking nation! | John |
| It will provoke confusion, segregation, aggravation and tribal attitudes beyond the current and oppose peace and national unity | John |
| There is respect for others in every culture – I am finding that respect being replaced by annoyance/anger and I don’t like it. | Maurice |
| Maori language has no place in official documents | Collin |
| English is an international language. Maori, or versions of it, is spoken in a couple of countries in the Pacific area.. If people want to speak Maori let them get on with it but do not force its use on non-Maori citizens. | Tony |
| Or ultimately if they’re in plain ENGLISH – not include Maori words at all. Put that in any Maori version for the minor portion of the population to read. Dumbing things down even more than they already are shows what this country is coming to. It’s sad how uneducated most people are. | Susan |
| Of course they should provide a translation to English , simple common sense would tell you that , why would you try to use the guise of Plain English then use other languages no one can understand to confuse them even more when in fact english is our main language , it simply doesn’t make sense and is completely contradictory to the Plain English statement in the first place. It’s obvious by confusing the people under the guise of supposedly making it easier the opposite is actually being done. The same has happened under Adern’s most transparent govt ever statement , it’s nothing more than blatant lies as they legislate in the wee dark hours of night and implement without any form of consultation at all on many things, it’s appalling we as adults and law abiding tax payers are allowing it but we are , therefore we are equally to blame for the mess we are now in . When are we going to stop talking and stand up and stop this gradual legislative creep & cultural devision , unworkable legislation and fiscal irresponsibility this diabolical Govt is slowly filtering into our society before we get past the point of none return which is what they are looking to achieve and all but have, it’s quite unbelievable we’ve actually allowed it to even get this far but we have so we as the citizens New Zealand must now take full responsibility for allowing it to happen while we sit lazily by watching our country needlessly internally self destruct itself, that’s what the outside world now thinks and sees and that’s what’s happening now at pace, how foolish are we ? | Garry |
| Absolutely. I am against making the 2nd official language of this country the first one. The people who speak this language aren’t interested in it. It appears to be a minority of stirrers who are trying to raise its profile. It’s a dead language – it has no use in the wider world in the marketplace. It is not respected outside this country. It is a language and culture best left where it was created on the stoneage! | Kristene |
| If you want to communicate with the nation, a language that the majority speak & understood should be used. | Karen |
| The mix of the two languages in my opinion is an insult to both .. if both are to be used then a complete translation of English should be included … | Lorraine |
| Common sense. | Graham |
| It is disrespectful to continually use Maori language either written or spoken without translation so I totally support this | Jacqui |
| The official communication in English is not English if other languages are used! I am sick of the continued indoctrination of Maori into our society. Maori, who are now mostly European betray their European heritage. It is a disgrace. | Folkert |
| Essential reading and understanding, please. | Paul |
| English please for the sake of the safety of everyone. | Peter |
| It is dangerous to everybodies safety if people don’t understand rules and regulations because they are in a language they don’t understand. Stop this stupidity-there are to many different ethnicities in NZ and the language they choose to learn is ENGLISH | Brenda |
| Less is more. | Brett |
| It would be better if they gave a separate te Reo translation for all those Maori that can’t read English | melahi |
| English is the language of NZ – why bringing another language to it | Nina |
| yes | tim |
| It should be voluntary to learn Te Reo which for all but Maori it is of no use. I am offended that this is being forced upon us by the ‘bought’ media. I was interested to learn Te Reo at one stage but this forced application has completely put me off. Now hearing it just angers me and I’m not alone in that. | Fi |
| We even have difficulty in identifying the function of many government departments, as their names are incomprehensible to the vast majority of NZ Citizens | ross |
| Why not just English in English documents and maori in maori documents. Our government prints many documents in different languages but you don’t see maori in the Chinese, Japanese or German documents. | Larry |
| not just the translation but the meaning, interpretation of the Maori words !!!! | Bruce |
| We all need to understand what’s being said. | Andrew |
| Absolutely. How insulting to the Receiver of said Communications if that is not done. | Laurel |
| We cannot understand if words in Maori that we don’t know are included with no translation. | Dorothy |
| The cancer of division is wrecking the country’s soul. | Coral |
| of course | Lorraine |
| Oboy, am I sick and tired of seeing maori names replacing names of government departments and street names etc and wondering what the hell department is that. Just stay with English names then everyone,including tourists will know what is what etc. English is a world wide language, maori is miniscule and useless out side of NZ, and even in NZ. This bullshit has to stop. | Peter |
| Yes of course. Apparently English is difficult enough just to learn it and use properly without the complexity of mixing non-English words within a main stream English language narrative. Maori have their own channels and can use the Maori language all they like within these special gifted arrangements. It’s just the Maori radical intellects that are playing their silly little power games with the co-operation of all those that they can suck in with the aim to simply devalue our Nation’s primary language. When their are other translations we don’t see any Maori words in amongst the French or Asian written documents. Only in the English spoken and written narratives. However I think the horse has bolted and the current destruction of our pure NZ English has gone too far. It makes me weep. | Garry |
| It will make reading a lot of present day articles a lot more easier to understand if this was put in place as it becomes tiresome trying to guess the interpretation of many Maori words. Funny thing though we dont get any other foreign language included in the article even though we have many other races in New Zealand. | Laraine |
| The NZ voters need to speak to this issue loudly and denounce it for another blatant attempt at thought control. | John |
| Yes. Given the importance of precision in language in legal texts such translations are an absolute must, especially when considering the ever changing interpretations of the Maori words in the so-called treaty of Waitangi. | Alan |
| It’s the case with academic papers. It must be the case for ‘our’ communications as well. | Graham |
| Im sick of not knowing what the news is about when so many Maori words are used. I would learn the language faster if the English translation was in brackets . It’s the least they could do. | Lindy |
| In this era of cultural Marxism, there has been a spate of Maori words in news items and comments that we are suddenly expected to know and understand. If Maori is the language being used, then any English words included require immediate translation to Maori and therefore the same procedure should apply when Maori words are employed while speaking or writing English. | William |
| Many communications are now not understood because so many untranslated Maori words are used | Ray |
| Absolutely- there are many internationals and new Kiwis who have ever right to be able to understand govt communications. English should always be the first language used, Maori 2nd. Who was it who started us sing the national Anthem in Maori first ?? | Nick |
| Freedom IS the greater good | Tracy |
| kare au e marama | Matt |
| It is becoming increasingly frustrating wrestling with the constant bombardment of Maori words & phrases being thrown at normal New Zealanders by out various media and Government communcations. We didn’t vote for this! | Pieter |
| It’s a no-brainer for clear thinking individuals. Just not our stupid government. It should go a step further. English version and Maori version of whatever official info is being put out. I’m so sick to death of these muppets in charge. | Maddi |
| Note that I understand no legal document or contract is legal if it is in more than one language. that simple fact appears to have been overlooked. | Claire |
| I am well over being forced to read a language that I do not understand | Warren |
| I don’t read articles filled with Maori words and when I try to read them I don’t understand them. On verbal use, as in radio and TV, I think it is plain rude to address an English speaking audience in another language. | Martyn |
| Definitely we need communication that everyone can understand.. The govt should know by now, in its best interests that a well informed public is necessary. | William |
| This states the obvious. In any event we are being bombarded with other than the English language In all media outlets. Often have to tune out as it gets so too much. | Carol |
| Most definitely they should! In fact there is absolutely no reason to use the Maori language at all; weren’t we all educated to speak english when we grew up. I’ve no objection to the Maori speaking their made up language, but haven’t previous Governments given them their ownTV and Radio stations to practice their native speak. There is no need for it! | Michael |
| No, of course not. English is spoken in many countries of the World. Change it in any way, then that pulls us back. Ridiculous idea. | Grahame |
| YES. Enough of this so-called tokenism of unknown words of a different language. The main language for this country will always be English. | Peter |
| Better still, I am European, address me in English ONLY. | Rod |
| No non english words should be used in official communications in the first place, we are an english speaking nation. | ken |
| It is so frustrating having Maori words used in both written and oral form without any translation. | Lynne |
| Absolutely a translation of Maori words should be included in all English language communications. What is happening right now is outrageous. Most people can hardly understand what these arrogant people are saying when they purposely include Maori terms to confuse the meaning. | Murray |
| Yes – that’s the most sensible idea I’ve heard on how to resolve this growing problem. But I suspect Labour won’t be keen to do it. Perhaps National and ACT could campaign on it! | David |
| The situation is now out of control where people are calling places and government agencies Maori names and no-one knows what the hell they are talking about. | Lilly |
| It is ridiculous that this situation has become such a problem because foreign words used to always include a translation. | Roger |
| Bring it on! I’m sick of listening to pidgin English. | Stewart |