52383 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

52383 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: How, if at all, is not including kupu Māori in any new Ready to Read Phonics Plus books series aligned with Te Aka Maurea me te Maihi Karauna?

Hon Erica Stanford: The Ready to Read Phonics Plus series is designed to support all New Zealand students to make progress in their phonics decoding in the first years of school, as this is an essential skill for learning how to read. As noted in my response to written parliamentary question 52382 (2025), future books planned in the series will continue to include Māori names. I am advised by the Ministry of Education that, once students have mastered decoding, te reo Māori is supported through the Junior Journal series for Year 3 students and the School Journal series for Years 4 to 8 students. For the first time, guidance about te reo Māori vowel sounds and pronunciation is included in the Years 0 to 10 English learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum, released last month. This learning area will be required for all schools to use from the start of 2026.