Cuts to funding television channel Whakata Maori and teacher training is another attack on tangata te whenua, PSA Te Kaihautū Māori Janice Panoho said.

“This is yet another breach of Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which protects our taonga tuku iho, including the language and cultural heritage of Māori,” Panoho said.

The $30 million the government said will instead be used to prioritize a mathematics curriculum, according to Panoho, which will have serious consequences for the future of Māori broadcasting and education.

“The recent remarks made by Education Minister Erica Stanford, where she claimed that maths achievement takes priority over the revitalization of Te Reo Māori, are typical of this government’s disregard for our culture.”

Ponoho said that it is a direct attack on the future of te reo Māori and the Māori voice in media.

“Māori will not stand by while our language and our identity are diminished. The Government must be held accountable for their actions and their disregard for the commitments of Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” Panoho said.

According to Panoho, Māori tamariki and rangatahi thrive in Kaupapa Māori education environments, which fare better than mainstream schooling.

“We need more Māori teachers to inspire our young ones and to reinforce the importance and future of learning te reo Māori.”

Panoho said that in addition to cutting the $30 million, an additional $10.3 million that was time-locked by the Labour Government has also been diverted.

“Despite the pleas in Parliament yesterday by former Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson, who urged the government to invest in Whakaata Māori, there has been no indication that this coalition government intends to step in and provide the necessary support.”