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An education union representative has compared the funding cut of a Pasifika literacy project to education's treatment of te reo Māori in decades past.
The New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa has called for the funding to be restored for the Pasifika Early Literacy Project (PELP), while the Ministry of Education says it continues to offer learning support for Pacific languages in other ways.
NZEI incoming representative Tute Mila said PELP has been crucial in helping Pasifika learners thrive in their education and maintain their cultural identities.
"There is an appalling parallel here with the historic treatment of te reo Māori, and the Minister's decision to cut funding sends a clear message that education is an English-only domain," she said.
"For many Pasifika communities and families, the project helped mitigate the trauma of earlier generations who were not allowed to speak their languages in the classroom.
"The abrupt funding cuts to the project are indicative of systemic racism, where children's rights to have their languages, cultures, and identities validated in education are being undermined."
The press secretary of education minister Erica Stanford directed RNZ Pacific's query to the Ministry of Education.
Acting hautū (leader) of the Ministry's curriculum centre Pauline Cleaver said in a statement the Ministry continues to provide support and resources for learning through Pacific languages, including Gagana Sāmoa, Lea FakaTonga, Vagahau Niue, Te Reo Māori Kuki 'Airani and Te Gagana Tokelau.
"In addition, the Ministry has continued to invest in Pacific learners, including through Tautai o le Moana, Tapasā and Reo Moana - Pacific Bilingual and Immersion Education PLD (professional learning and development)."
She explained the PELP funding:
"The Ministry received funding for the Pasifika Early Literacy Project through Budget 2019, and the original contract was for four years.
"In 2023, the contract was extended for a further two years (to December 2025). After reviewing investments to support Pacific education investment and priorities, it was decided to shorten the extension by a year (to November 2024)."
Cleaver said the Ministry thanked NZEI for raising the issue.
"The Ministry is committed to making sure the right support is available for all learners, including Pacific learners, so that they progress and achieve."
A 2018 report found the first language learned at home for about half of New Zealand's Pacific 16 to 65-year-olds was a Pacific language. The same report found from 1996 to 2014, the proportion of Pacific people with low literacy skills had decreased.
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PELP was first piloted in 2014 by a team from the University of Auckland, led by Dr Rae Siʻilata, and contracted by the Ministry of Education.
The pilot supported the use of Sāmoan/English dual language books for biliteracy learning in Pacific languages and in English, with 27 teachers across seven schools in Auckland.
It was expanded to include gagana Sāmoa, te gagana Tokelau, lea faka-Tonga, te reo Māori Kuki 'Airani, and vagahau Niue in 2015-2016.
Primary school clusters in Tāmaki Makaurau continued to participate in PELP in 2018-2019, and since 2020, early learning services were also included.
PELP project coordinator and workshop facilitator Kyla Hansell told the Ministry of Education's Gazette earlier this year the professional learning and development (PLD) sessions are delivered Pacific-style.
"There's singing and lots of laughter with a whole team of facilitators - not just one person talking at you for the day," she said.
"It gives the teachers the chance to explore teaching pedagogy and cultures in a safe, non-judgemental space."
Bronwen Walters, a non-Pacific teacher at St Joseph's School in Levin, said she thought it was "the best PLD I ever did".
"Up on our feet, talking, singing, and dancing. It spoke to my heart about how these children will best learn."
She told a story of how her partner told her he'd seen a large fishing net on the front lawn of the nearby home of a student - a boy from Kiribati who had previously struggled with writing.
"I like to pull together different stories around a theme, so we were talking about fishing, and I mentioned the net.
"Suddenly he was coming up with a whole bundle of stories and we were able to use the books as a catalyst to get them down together."
NZEI said evaluations of the project, including by the Ministry of Education, have recognised its effectiveness in validating language and identity so Pasifika children have a solid foundation to build their English-learning.
"Any biliteracy programme needs to be evidence-driven, and the Ministry's own evaluation found the project had a positive impact for educators, creating a positive learning environment for linguistically diverse children," Mila said.
"When schools and centres can access a project like this it creates an education environment where Pasifika tamariki (children) don't have to leave their identity at the school gate.
"Instead, they feel valued and seen in their educational journey."
Resources remain available online from the Pasifika Early Literacy Project (PELP), including dual language picture book PDFs, audio files, and family support materials.