Simon Draper's September 2019 Update
Tēnā anō koe. As I’m sure you’re all aware, this week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.
While we at the Foundation are advocates for the teaching of Asian languages, we’re also advocates for the teaching of te Reo Māori – it is our country’s indigenous language, it is unique to Aotearoa New Zealand and is a taonga guaranteed under the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Foundation’s view is that it doesn’t have to be a matter of either or when it comes to learning languages. It’s been shown that once a child has learnt a second language, picking up a third is a much easier undertaking.
Throughout New Zealand, there are Māori immersion and bilingual schools that also teach their students a third language – often Mandarin (You can read about one such school here) and in our Leadership Network we can point to examples of te Reo speakers who have gone on to learn an Asian language, and vice versa.
Watch the video below of our Leadership Network’s Te Ao Māori Hui to hear about the importance of the language in New Zealand’s leadership and in engaging with Asia.
Our research tells us that being able to articulate and understand one’s own identity and place in the world is an important part of building confidence to engage internationally as well. Clearly, knowledge of te Reo goes a long way to developing this understanding.
Kia kaha te reo Māori
All eyes on Japan
With the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, all eyes, especially Kiwi eyes, will be firmly on Japan.
At the Foundation, we’ve made Japan one of our focus countries this year, partly to leverage off the world cup and other major sporting events being held there over the next 18 months, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympics.
The Foundation already does a lot with Japan. We have a longstanding relationship with the president of Nakashimato Co Ltd, Mr Amane Nakashima, to provide Japan study grants to school groups and individual students, and for several years we’ve supported a business internship with Kyushu Railway Company.
This year we’ve added internships at Mitsubishi Electric and Air New Zealand; supported journalists to travel to Japan to cover stories through our media travel grants; and taken a group of PE teachers to Tokyo to learn about Japan’s sports culture and the country’s preparation for the RWC.
Last year we added sports to our programmes and decided that while the attention of the sporting world was on Japan we would make it exclusively Japan-focused, at least for the first year.
Our sports programme has already supported dozens of people through school and community sports grants to incorporate cultural elements into their Japan sports visits. So rather than Saint Peter’s College first XV simply travelling to Japan to compete in the Sanix World Rugby Tournament this year (a big congratulations to them for making the final), with the Foundation’s help they also included a guided tour of Kyoto’s most important temple Tenryuji Temple, a visit to a traditional Japanese fishing village and other cultural activities.
Athletes we support not only developed their own understanding of Japan but return home and share their stories with friends and whānau. We believe that the “language of sport”, which many New Zealanders feel comfortable with, is an important way to build New Zealanders’ confidence with Asia.
Next week we will be publishing a report highlighting the strength of the New Zealand-Japan relationship – keep an eye on our website.
Looking ahead
This month I’ll be leading a delegation to Malaysia for the 12th ASEAN Australia New Zealand Roundtable – an annual exchange on a range of security, political and trade concerns. This year’s agenda will include special sessions on the environment and countering violent extremism. The Foundation is working closely with our partners Asialink and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia in bringing more voices to the table for discussion on these important policy issues.
Following straight on from the roundtable, my next stop will be Seoul, for a dialogue with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. On the cards are talks on the Korean Peninsula, regional power relations, regional trade prospects and challenges, as well as hearing Korean perspectives on the Indo-Pacific and its New Southern Policy.
We will publish articles on our website on both these dialogues, written by experts accompanying me as part of the Foundation’s delegation.
Noho ora mai
Simon Draper