Te Mātāwai will soon release the Maihi Māori Strategy to restore te reo Māori as a nurturing first language. Its goal is to have more than one-million people using the language by 2040.
Te Mātāwai Co-Chair Mereana Selby says, the next steps for the Reo Māori strategy are underway.
"We're pleased, we can now go back to our communities and our Māori language stakeholders to discuss the ins and outs of this strategy and how they can access funding to assist them."
More than $11-million dollars will go towards home and community based language investments to help reach Te Mātāwai's 2040 vision; of more than one-million people using the language and a quarter of Māori children under 7-years-old speaking Māori as a first language.
“We have set an ambitious goal not a conservative one because it will build a strong strategy to help achieve what we're aiming for,” Selby says.
Once community engagement has ended Te Mātāwai will collate its information to bring to the Crown to the table.
"There is the Māori strategy and then there is the Crown's strategy and each has its part to play to strengthen the Māori language,” Selby says.
The community consultation expects to end in the next few months.