More Than Words: Why Erasing Te Reo Impacts Public Health

At Hāpai Te Hauora, we know language is health. Te reo Māori is a taonga that connects us to whakapapa, whenua and wairua. When government decisions erase te reo, it is not just about literacy – it is about wellbeing.

What’s happening

The Ministry of Education has announced that new early reading books in the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series will exclude nearly all Māori words, aside from character names. Thirteen upcoming titles will be stripped of te reo Māori.

When government decisions erase te reo, it is not just about literacy – it is about wellbeing.

The justification given is that bilingual texts could “confuse” children learning English. Even the Ministry admits the evidence for this is thin. What is clear is that this isn’t just a reading policy – it undermines cultural belonging and public health.

Why it matters

The health benefits of bilingualism are clear. Tamariki exposed early to more than one language develop stronger brain pathways, improved cognitive control, and better overall brain health.[1][2] Erasing te reo from children’s books denies them these key benefits.

But the damage goes deeper. The suppression of te reo forces past traumas back to the surface. It reopens wounds cut by colonisation that continue to scar the wellbeing of Māori. Every time a policy erases te reo, it follows in the footsteps of the 1867 Native Schools Act, designed to assimilate Māori into a Pākehā way of being.[3] Generations were left culturally dislocated because of it. [4] Disturbingly, the same flawed logic is being used today – that allowing te reo in classrooms will hold children back from learning English. This is the same reasoning that has been echoed in more recent education discussions.
Identity and belonging are also determinants of health. For Māori tamariki, seeing te reo in books affirms who they are. For non-Māori, it provides opportunities to understand the cultural history of this whenua and build respectful relationships. Having te reo in schools heals colonial harms and creates unity, not division.

For Māori tamariki, seeing te reo in books affirms who they are. For non-Māori, it provides opportunities to understand the cultural history of this whenua and build respectful relationships.

What this means for us

Language is a bridge between worlds. To dismantle that bridge only widens the gap between peoples who should be bound together by Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Erasure of te reo erodes unity, cooperation, mutual understanding, and relationships – all foundations of wellbeing in Aotearoa.

Framing the removal of te reo as necessary for children to learn English is wrong. The opposite is true. Studies show bilingual exposure enhances English learning and predicts academic success.[5][6] The evidence is clear – but decision-makers are choosing to ignore it, reinforcing ideologies that foster division rather than unity.

Language is not just about literacy. It is a public health tool. Denying tamariki bilingual education denies them neurological, educational, social, and cultural benefits that support lifelong wellbeing.

Our message is clear

If the government is serious about improving education and health outcomes, it would not pursue this harmful act of erasure. Literacy materials that integrate te reo and English strengthen identity, meet literacy needs, and honour Te Tiriti. Anything less is not a strategy to improve literacy, it’s a public health betrayal dressed up as responsible education policy.