Speech judge challenges Maori language story

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 267, 13 December 1988, Page 3

Speech judge challenges Maori language story

A woman who was the subject of the recent Bulletin story "Speech judge objects to Maori language", November 26, has challenged some of the points in that story. The story revolved around a comment that

the judge wrote in referrence to a primary school child's speech in a speech competition. The judge's comment was: "In a predominently English speaking country I object to being spoken to at length in Maori." She says she does not object to the Maori

language, that she would have objected just as strongly if a speaker had spoken in "Chinese or Hindu". She told the Bulletin she has no objection to Maori being spoken on the marae, or to hearing a few words of introduction in a speech. Also the judge maintains the main part of the speech was not in English, as the Bulletin reported, but was mostly in Maori. One of the other competition judges supported this claim. The comment was not the only one written by the judge. She also wrote: "A nice speaking voice" and "Tended to look at the ceiling, or above the audience heads". This has been confirmed by a number of sources. The boy was not asked to make a public welcome and was not the first speaker, says the judge. She claims the Bulletin implied that was the case. All others consulted by the Bulletin said they considered the main part of the boy's speech to be in English, though they could not say what proportion was in English. All did not wish to be named.

One of the organisers of the competition said without timing the speech, determining the length of the Maori part of it would b e subjective. He said if someone felt uncomfortable it may have seemed a long time. He was adamant however, that the Maori part of the speech was not the main part of the speech. Everyone the Bulletin spoke to said the boy translated the Maori

part into English though the judge said she could not hear his translation. A letter has been sent from the Maungarongo Marae to the race relations concilliator concerning the judges comment. Please note: The Bulletin regrets the innacuracy i n the original report. That is, that the comment reported was the only one, and appologizes to read-

ers, the judge and to Ruapehu ITC for the innacuracy. W e would also like to appologize t o those who may have inferred that

the boy was the first speaker and that he had been asked to make a public Maori welcome. see 'Our View' P4