Explaining the Maori in Welsh

Tu Tangata, Issue 29, 1 April 1986, Page 52

Explaining the Maori in Welsh

A Welsh broadcaster, Lin Davis was recently in New Zealand to interview Maori people about their life style and customs. But of most interest to his Maori interviewees was his explanation about the resurgence of the Welsh language in a English dominated Wales.

He spoke of a government-backed response to reflect the native Welsh language in the media with twenty three hours a week on television. Lin said these programmes use Welsh to communicate the vitality of the people and are screened usually between seven and nine-thirty each night. The remainder of the time of Chanel Four has programmes in English.

He said eighteen hours are produced by the BBC and ITV, the big companies, and five hours come from about twelve independent producers. At one time he said there were thirty independent producers but times had gotten hard.

He also said that in the beginning the BBC would opt out of producing and presenting programmes in Welsh, and would tend to screen them late at night or at inconvenient times. That’s changed now.

Lin puts the ratings figures for Welsh programmes at about eighty thousand, a figure he admits is not large by world standards but one that is sufficient to justify screening. He says it’s been a three year experiment that the govern-

ment will now have to face up to, to see if it continues. In his time in New Zealand, Lin was very taken by the Aotearoa Broadcasting System application for a third channel licence. He felt that it should be supported as a priority way in which the Maori language could be revived. He said Channel Four in Wales kicked off between 6.30 pm and 7.00 with news and then developed from there sometimes with a play or documentary. Advertisements were in English with programme announcements in Welsh.

Lin said the switch to English was to attract advertisers but there was no pressure to change this policy.

Lin came from a broadcasting background in radio. Welsh radio was established some seven years ago with limited broadcasting in Welsh and this was gradually extended.

Lin said this radio service kept the people in touch with others and developed into a real country service. However he said it wasn’t all plain sailing and it took threatened non-payment of tv licences and much public action to keep the media honest.

He said there was some backlash from people who saw the revival of the Welsh language as being irrelevant. However Lin said being eighteen percent of a two and a half million population able to speak welsh, was a strong factor in the resurgence. He said Welsh second language teaching also took off in the sixties and it’s now estimated

that there are four hundred and fifty thousand Welsh speakers. The Welsh language is also supported in law and has equal validity. Lin said that this turnaround for the Welsh language was a shock to some because prior to the sixties it seemed to be heading for extinction. Happily for Wales, that didn’t happen, and because of it, Welsh people will be able to hear the views of the tangata whenua of Aotearoa in their native Welsh language when Lin Davis returns home.