Earlier this year, when a new three-party Coalition government in Aotearoa New Zealand promised to repeal a whole raft of Labour-era policies that impact Māori, it fuelled debate over access to te reo Māori language in the country – and for many educators and families who work hard to ensure access to language education is equitable, the proposed policy changes hit a painful nerve.
It’s a nerve understood by proponents of Indigenous language and culture education in Australian schools too – an issue that is made more challenging by the fact that there are multiple Australian Indigenous languages that vary from region to region across the entire nation.
But no matter how the debate about accessing language continues in Aotearoa New Zealand, for Māori students – whether still living in their homeland or now enrolled in Australian schools after a family move across the water – one easy way to help a new generation of young people access Māori language in children’s books is via the convenience of the Sora reading platform.
Makers of the Sora reading platform for schools, OverDrive, say the platform features a range of New Zealand ebooks and audio titles that celebrate the Māori language and culture and help young readers stay connected to their unique stories. In participating libraries, Sora can also be linked to local public libraries there through Public Libraries Connect.
Connecting with culture and language
Access to stories that promote the representation of Māori stories helps young students make meaningful connections with their language as they learn to read. By utilising tools such as the Sora platform, this practical way to put the Māori language at the fingertips of keen readers is convenient too – helping strengthen their reading skills and their vocabulary, no matter where the student lives.
Sora enables students to borrow and open books with one tap, with assigned books then showing up automatically and expiring on a due date set by the school. Sora also lets students see their notes and highlights at any time – and invites them to export them to PDF, CSV, and Google Drive. With a student dashboard, the experience is personalised to each student and motivates their reading.
For Māori families who can still remember being told they were forbidden to speak Māori in schools when they grew up in Aotearoa, being able to ensure their children or grandchildren can easily access the language in books that can be shared and enjoyed via an accessible digital reading platform is more important than ever.
