Youth MP calls for stronger focus on te reo and Māori history education in rural schools

By Andrea McEntyre, Youth Press Gallery, Youth Parliament 2025

Photo Caption: Maevi Fleming, Youth MP

Fleming, 17, is head girl at Roncalli College in Timaru and will be representing Hon James Meager, Minister for Youth at Youth Parliament 2025. Despite her full schedule, Fleming proves that creativity and social activism can coexist.  

The source of Fleming’s strong passion for equity, culture, and history is deeply personal. Raised by a single mother, and influenced by her politically active grandparents, politics have long been a constant in her life. 

 “Growing up seeing how anyone can be disadvantaged in society has kind of motivated me, firsthand, to put myself in other people's shoes, and put on that mask of empathy to see what it's like for people that are worse off than me. I really want to make the world a better place for everyone to be in, specifically through economical means,” Fleming says. 

Her time with youth development organisation Young Marist, which connects Catholic schools across Aotearoa New Zealand, included a week in Hiruhārama, a community impacted by land confiscation and colonisation. 

 “It was really interesting to put myself in another person’s shoes and see how government legislation impacts daily life.” 

In her own community, she has observed that beneath the surface pride and support, there’s another story. One of cultural disconnection. 

“Timaru definitely needs more culture in it,” Fleming says.  

Hearing local rangatahi / young people describe the Māori language as “almost dead”, has only made her desire to advocate even stronger. “They think there’s no point in learning it because it’s such a minority,” she says. “I don’t agree with that, but it shows how far we still have to go.” 

Growing up in Timaru, she says, “we don’t have that bigger Māori aspect like some communities in the North Island or cities like Christchurch or Auckland.” And when cultural visibility is low, misconception has the opportunity to grow.” 

Fleming suggests that she has seen the same thing in many rural towns, especially across the South Island, where the cultural infrastructure simply isn’t there. For rangatahi Māori growing up in these communities, connection to culture often has to be sought, not lived. 

“I’ve always had quite a keen interest in te reo Māori, even as a child. I just always felt a connection to the culture, and I think that’s the most important thing. I believe learning te reo Māori can help create a better society for everyone.” 

As a Youth MP, Fleming has been gathering opinions from across South Canterbury, even when what she hears is uncomfortable. From young people who feel disconnected from their culture to a lack of visible Māori representation in local schools and systems, the kōrero has been clear: something needs to change. 

Though she’s grateful for the close-knit support of her hometown, Fleming knows that connection alone isn’t enough. She wants to shift the narrative, helping her community to not just value te reo Māori, but embrace it. 

“I want to create a more equal, equitable society to be in. And I think I've definitely experienced that kind of firsthand. I would just really love to be a figure in society that could make a wave of change.”  

For Fleming, it all comes back to education. 

Through Youth Parliament, she’s calling for stronger te reo and Māori history education in schools, better civic engagement among Māori youth, and a more honest reckoning with the ongoing impacts of colonisation; especially in places where these conversations rarely happen. 

“Education is where it starts,” she says. “If people understood the history, what actually happened to Māori and how it still affects lives today, they’d stop seeing te reo Māori as optional. They’d see it as essential.” 

“It’s about building a society where everyone feels seen and heard,” she says, and she’s only just getting started.