Yep, the insistence on communicating in a language 95+% of the population doesn’t understand is simply nuts. The renaming of govt depts, the country, cities and towns is unnecessarily confusing. Why make it hard for people to understand? Surely there are enough challenges in life without adding linguistic obfuscation to the mix.
…and the government department Maori name comes first and is in a font twice the size of the English version. I returned from an overseas trip at the end of July, tested positive for covid and reported this as required. I was then spammed with texts from Te H… something or other. As I had no idea who this was I treated it as spam. After 5 days got a call from someone who said they were calling from the Ministry of Health and asking why I hadn’t replied to their texts.
Auckland Transport has taken that to the next level. In the CityLink red bus they announce Britomart as “Britomart {something in maori}” in a male voice an then “Britomart {same thing in maori}” in a female voice. Very helpful and tourist friendly…
“Why English is Considered the Language of the Skies. English has been the language of air travel since at least the 1950’s and this status was further cemented in 2008 when the International Civil Aviation Organisation introduced language proficiency requirements. Those working in aviation are now required to take regular tests to prove their English language proficiency, with the aim of improving communications and promoting safety in the skies. Read: countries that tried their own language incurred on the biggest aviation disasters in history. Things to come?
So unfortunately I recently ended up in hospital with a kidney stone. The outcome was positive with excellent care from all the health staff. Hower while lying on my bed I happened to read a list of things the staff would do for me. Such as treat me with respect etc. All totally acceptable except at the top of the list it stated that ” I would be greeted in Te Reo” Fortunately the staff greeted me in English which I actually speak. The maorification that’s taking place in NZ is utter rubbish.
How do overseas visitors have any idea what things pronounced in Maori mean, there’s hardly any translation.
Also during Maori language week, it’s potentially incredibly dangerous to conduct the weather forecast using mainly Maori place names that many kiwis don’t fully understand, let along our international visitors.
…and it seems like where there didn’t used to be a word the English word(s) have been adapted by missing out a letter e.g. te pati Maori, looks like a missing h and r. Still on a positive note Cinderella reverted to the English vernacular in respect to David Seymour, perhaps she wanted to ensure that the majority of the New Zealand population knew what she said.
The aim seems to be to enable people to do without using English. The people who will lose from all this are Maori youth who are being told that education is colonialism, and that whitey should learn Maori instead of Maori having to learn English. They will be condemned to a poverty of opportunity unable to communicate with the rest of the world
It’s all part of the indoctrination process. I have started walking away from people who use te reo on me – clearly they are not talking to me, so why put up with it ?
Time for push back on this patent nonsense.
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Indeed
Yep, the insistence on communicating in a language 95+% of the population doesn’t understand is simply nuts. The renaming of govt depts, the country, cities and towns is unnecessarily confusing. Why make it hard for people to understand? Surely there are enough challenges in life without adding linguistic obfuscation to the mix.
…and the government department Maori name comes first and is in a font twice the size of the English version. I returned from an overseas trip at the end of July, tested positive for covid and reported this as required. I was then spammed with texts from Te H… something or other. As I had no idea who this was I treated it as spam. After 5 days got a call from someone who said they were calling from the Ministry of Health and asking why I hadn’t replied to their texts.
Auckland Transport has taken that to the next level. In the CityLink red bus they announce Britomart as “Britomart {something in maori}” in a male voice an then “Britomart {same thing in maori}” in a female voice. Very helpful and tourist friendly…
Never fly. Earth is called Terra Firma for a reason – the more Firma, the less Terra. Strange, I know more Latin than Maori …
There’s nothing more pointless than flying a perfectly good airplane to the scene of an impending crash.
“Why English is Considered the Language of the Skies. English has been the language of air travel since at least the 1950’s and this status was further cemented in 2008 when the International Civil Aviation Organisation introduced language proficiency requirements. Those working in aviation are now required to take regular tests to prove their English language proficiency, with the aim of improving communications and promoting safety in the skies. Read: countries that tried their own language incurred on the biggest aviation disasters in history. Things to come?
So unfortunately I recently ended up in hospital with a kidney stone. The outcome was positive with excellent care from all the health staff. Hower while lying on my bed I happened to read a list of things the staff would do for me. Such as treat me with respect etc. All totally acceptable except at the top of the list it stated that ” I would be greeted in Te Reo” Fortunately the staff greeted me in English which I actually speak. The maorification that’s taking place in NZ is utter rubbish.
How do overseas visitors have any idea what things pronounced in Maori mean, there’s hardly any translation.
Also during Maori language week, it’s potentially incredibly dangerous to conduct the weather forecast using mainly Maori place names that many kiwis don’t fully understand, let along our international visitors.
…and it seems like where there didn’t used to be a word the English word(s) have been adapted by missing out a letter e.g. te pati Maori, looks like a missing h and r. Still on a positive note Cinderella reverted to the English vernacular in respect to David Seymour, perhaps she wanted to ensure that the majority of the New Zealand population knew what she said.
The aim seems to be to enable people to do without using English. The people who will lose from all this are Maori youth who are being told that education is colonialism, and that whitey should learn Maori instead of Maori having to learn English. They will be condemned to a poverty of opportunity unable to communicate with the rest of the world
It’s all part of the indoctrination process. I have started walking away from people who use te reo on me – clearly they are not talking to me, so why put up with it ?
Time for push back on this patent nonsense.
No doubt after the sign language version