The Value of the Māori Language and Mātauranga Māori
The value of the M ā ori language is not so much that we can say the same things in M ā ori that we may say in English but because the M ā ori language is a vehicle into a distinctive way of thinking and experiencing life (worldview). Similarly our desire for m ā tauranga M ā ori and M ā ori cultural knowledge is not so that we may distinguish ourselves from 'P ā keh ā ' but rather to be able to enjoy a vision and experience of life that was first imagined by our forebears and related by them in their language, their knowledge, their songs, their stories, their genealogies and much more.