A change to a land transport rule came into force on 5 April 2022 enabling bilingual school traffic signs, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Director of Land Transport Kane Patena announced.
The Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices (Kura/School Signs) Amendment 2022, which specifies requirements for ‘school’ signs that can be used on roads, now requires bilingual sign supplements for new school signs.
“With over 2,500 schools across Aotearoa New Zealand this represents a significant opportunity to increase New Zealander’s exposure to te reo Māori through traffic signs,” Mr Patena says.
“The Government wants to see te reo Māori seen, spoken and heard wherever possible, to contribute to the revitalisation of the language. Bilingual signs have been used on the network for some time, but the rule change will help with more consistent and safe use across Aotearoa New Zealand,” Mr Patena says.
The amended rule shows the word kura to be positioned in bolder font above the word school to differentiate te reo Māori and English on new school traffic signs.
When developing its approach to introducing bilingual traffic signs, Waka Kotahi undertook research to identify international precedents and to examine the safety implications. Numerous countries use bilingual signage, and no evidence was found of bilingual signage increasing the number of people being killed or seriously injured where this was measured.
The Kura/School signs will be used by Road Controlling Authorities when existing signs need to be replaced or new signs are introduced. Existing English-only school signs remain legal traffic signs until they are replaced.
Waka Kotahi in partnership with Te Mātāwai, is progressing a long-term programme of work which will see more bilingual signs enabled using a phased approach.
Te Mātāwai Board Co-Chair Reikura Kahi says that increasing the visibility of te reo Māori “at a community level where our whānau live and play is an important component for revitalising te reo Māori”.
“Waka Kotahi and Te Mātāwai will continue to investigate other bilingual or te reo Māori only traffic signs which can be enabled across the motu as part of the He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs programme,” Mr Patena says.
The programme also has support from Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport and input from Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Language Commission.
A Summary of Submissions document that analyses and provides a brief summary of the 564 submissions and feedback from Waka Kotahi and technical specifications and images for the Kura/School signs are now available.
More information about the He Tohu Huarahi Māori bilingual traffic signs programme
E kōkirihia ana te panonitanga ki te ture waka whenua i whakapūmautia ai i te 5 o Āperira 2022 e tautoko ana i te whakatūnga o ngā tohu huarahi kura reorua, te pānui a te Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Director of Land Transport, a Kane Patena.
E ai ki The Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices (Kura/School Signs) Amendment 2022, te pepa ka whakamārama i ngā waeture mō ngā tohu ‘school’ ka whakatūria i ngā huarahi, me reorua ngā tohu hou a ngā kura.
“Nuku atu i te 2,500 ngā kura puta noa i Aotearoa, ā, he whai wāhitanga pai tēnei ki te whakapiki i te whakatairangatanga o te reo Māori mā ngā tohu huarahi nei,” te kī a Kane Patena.
“E hiahia ana te Kāwanatanga ki te kite i te kitea o te reo Māori, te kōrerohia me te rangona hoki i ngā wāhi e taea ana, hei wāhanga o te whakarauoratanga o te reo. Kua roa nei te wā e whakamahia ana ngā tohu reorua ki te rāngai nei, heoi anō, mā te panonitanga ture e pai ake ai, e haumaru ake ai hoki te whakamahinga puta noa i Aotearoa,” te kī a Kane Patena.
E ai ki te whakahounga o te ture me taekaha te kupu kura, me noho hoki ki runga ake i te kupu school e kitea ai te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki ngā tohu huarahi kura.
Nōna e whakawhanake ana i tāna rautaki ki te whakamahi i ngā tohu reorua, ka tautohu a Waka Kotahi i ngā tauira ā-ao o mua, ā, ka whakamātau hoki i ngā whakatūpatotanga haumarutanga. He nui ngā whenua ka whakamahi i ngā tohu reorua, me te aha, kāore i kitea he taunaki mō te whakapikinga o te matenga o te tangata, te taotūtanga rānei nā ngā tohu reorua i ngā wāhi i inea ai tēnei āhuatanga.
Me whakamahi ngā tohu Kura/School e Road Controlling Authorities i ngā wāhi me whakahou tohu e tū kē ana, i ngā wāhi rānei me whakatū tohu hou. Ka mana tonu te tū a ngā tohu reo Pākehā-anake tae rawa ki te wā ka whakahoungia.
Kei te mahi tahi a Waka Kotahi ki a Te Mātāwai, ki te āta kōkiri i tētahi kaupapa e kitea ai te whakatūnga o ngā tohu reorua.
E ai ki te Hoa-toihau o Te Mātāwai, ki a Reikura Kahi, ko te whakapiki i te kitea o te reo Māori “i te hapori, te wāhi kei reira rā ngā whānau e noho ana, e tākaro ana, ā, he mea nui tērā i te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori.”
“Ka mahi tonu a Te Waka Kotahi me Te Mātāwai ki te whakatewhatewha tohu huarahi reorua, reo Māori anake rānei, ka kitea i ngā tōpito katoa o te motu, hei wāhanga o te kaupapa tohu huarahi reorua, o He Tohu Huarahi Māori,” te kī a Mr Patena.
E tautokohia ana hoki te kaupapa nei e Te Manatū Waka, ā, ka whai wāhi mai hoki a Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
A Summary of Submissions te pepa ka tātari, ka whakamārama potohia hoki ngā tāpaetanga me ngā whakahokinga kōrero e 564 nō Waka Kotahi, ā, kua iria hoki ināianei ngā ture me ngā ata tohu Kura/School ki te pae tukutuku a Waka Kotahi.
He whakawhānuitanga kōrero mō He Tohu Huarahi Māori
