New Zealand's central bank defends Maori language use
New Zealand's central bank defends Maori language use
New Zealand’s central bank chief defended its use of the Maori language in official communications on Wednesday, as the country’s new centre-right government looks to roll back the use of the Indigenous language in the public sector.
Why would that be something you have to defend? Maori is one of the official languages of the country.
FTA
The three parties in the new coalition government last week signed agreements that outline policies to roll back the use of Maori language and require all government agencies to primarily use English for their department names and communications.
Destructive. The intention being to return to a perceived ‘status quo’ which was effectively a policy(more like ideology) of cultural annihilation. The behaviour of an authoritarian occupying force, rather than one of partnership. Stirring up the worst in our backwater colony while they prepare to fleece their credulous voters while dangling plastic carrots (oooh tax cuts).
I recognize that. It is still not something that needs to be defended. The bank is not governed by the same laws since they are independent. It is also an apolitical body so coalition politics don't really mean much.
But again, Maori is an official language so it is ridiculous for any government related organization to apologize for making statements in it regardless of policy.
Long story short, after the recent election we have a centre right, further right, and a populist party in a coalition government. It took them 6 weeks to finalise their coalition agreements and now they have stated their intend to roll back pretty much anything that the previous (centre-left, single party) government brought in.
However, use of Māori in the public service is not new, it has been around for decades. But recently some departments have started using their Māori name as their main name and the English name as a secondary name (instead of the other way around), so all the old white guys are confused and angry.
Damn, that’d suck if it goes ahead - as an Aussie who was very disappointed with the result of the recent referendum here, I really admire what NZ has done to integrate and champion Māori culture ☹️
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WELLINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s central bank chief defended its use of the Maori language in official communications on Wednesday, as the country’s new centre-right government looks to roll back the use of the Indigenous language in the public sector.
Luxon said on Wednesday said the government would introduce legislation to reform the RBNZ's mandate and lift a ban on the sale of cigarettes to future generations within its first 100 days.
Over the past few years, the RBNZ has undergone an overhaul that puts the country's Maori heritage and language at the centre of its operations.
The makeover, driven by Orr, has resulted in some bold changes not only to its corporate branding but also its approach to policy and communication.
The government has not released specific details on the policies and it is unclear whether they would directly impact the central bank.
The RBNZ is independent but is issued with a remit by the finance minister that specifies matters that the government wants the bank to focus on, such as financial stability and prudential regulation.
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