Tālofa, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Noa'ia, Mauri, Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.
The Leo Moana o Aotearoa Pacific Languages of Aotearoa Project is the first of its kind on nine Pacific languages in Aotearoa - Te Gagana Tokelau, Vagahau Niue, Te Reo Māori Kuki ‘Āirani, Gagana Samoa, Lea faka-Tonga, Te Gana Tuvalu, Vosa Vakaviti, Fäeag Rotųam and Te taetae ni Kiribati.
The aim of the Project is to investigate the use of, and attitudes to, Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand and in doing so, contribute to their planning, maintenance, and revitalisation. Understanding this current state is extremely important to meaningfully impact the rapid shift in Pacific language use in New Zealand to date.
This first report from the Leo Moana o Aotearoa series presents pan-Pacific findings from the Leo Moana o Aotearoa Survey component of the Project. It presents the baseline data from which subsequent policy work will stem over time. Language-specific and ethnic-specific findings from the qualitative talanoa component of the Project will be provided in separate reports.
The survey findings are presented in the report according to the following main themes:
The Leo Moana o Aotearoa Pacific Languages of Aotearoa Project is the first national project of its kind to investigate the use and attitudes towards nine Pacific languages in Aotearoa -Te Gagana Tokelau, Vagahau Niue, Te Reo Māori Kuki ‘Āirani, Gagana Samoa, Lea faka-Tonga , Te Gana Tuvalu, Vosa Vakaviti, Fäeag Rotųam and Te taetae ni Kiribati.
The objectives of this research project were to:
develop a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of Pacific languages in Aotearoa New Zealand – predominantly focused on the nine Pacific languages currently supported by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) Language Weeks, in order to understand who speaks each language, to whom, when, where and why;
monitor Pacific peoples’ attitudes toward their Pacific heritage language(s) and towards English to better understand the value placed on the languages and how this affects their usage; and
examine enabling factors and barriers to Pacific heritage language use for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand to inform what support is needed to maintain and revitalise Pacific languages.
This research is integral to informing MPP’s strategic actions on Goal 1 of Lalanga Fou – “Thriving Pacific Languages, Cultures and Identities”.
The research project involved both a national survey as well as talanoa with Pacific communities from nine Pacific groups across Aotearoa (Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Rotuma, and Kiribati) to gain an in-depth understanding of the use and valuing of Pacific languages by Pacific people in Aotearoa.
The results of the research project will:
The Leo Moana Survey gathered information from Pacific people, aged 15 years age and above, and their use of and attitudes towards Pacific languages in New Zealand, and across multiple domains of language use.
The Survey was made available in English as well as nine Pacific languages – te gagana Tokelau, te reo Māori Kuki ‘Airani, vagahau Niue, gagana Samoa, lea faka-Tonga, vosa Vakaviti, te gana Tuvalu, fäeag Rotuḁm, te taetae ni Kiribati (each with the English translation). Many participants completed the Survey in their respective Pacific languages.
The Leo Moana Survey was delivered online through Qualtrics Core XM – a cloud-based survey platform – and was live from November 2021 through to February 2022. It comprised 70 questions covering 10 topics:
A total of 3039 Pacific people over the age of 15 completed the Survey. Participants were identified across five key variables: Pacific ethnicity, age, gender, region and birthplace. The sampling frame was designed using data from the 2018 New Zealand census data and is representative of Pacific peoples residing in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Get in touch with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples at [email protected]