TE REO, TE TAXES, TE RIP-OFF: HOW MUCH IS THIS LANGUAGE PROJECT REALLY COSTING US?

They tell us te reo Māori is “thriving.” Funny, because anything actually thriving doesn’t usually need $100 million a year in taxpayer life support just to stay alive.

That’s right New Zealand is shelling out over $75 million every year just for Māori language and broadcasting projects. Add in the hidden extras schools, councils, public service training, bilingual signage, and departmental rebrands and the real figure is easily north of $100 million annually.

Where does it all go?

Te Māngai Pāho: $60 million/year to fund Māori broadcasting

Māori Television: $20 million year (yes, people still pretend to watch it)

Māori Language Commission: $14 million/year to advise on how to wedge “Aotearoa” into every government press release

Schools & Bureaucracy: Millions more for language training, bilingual curricula, and signage no one asked for

Meanwhile, Kiwis can’t get a hospital bed, teachers are leaving the profession, and the roads look like a Mad Max set.

But hey at least your local council now says “Ngā mihi” before hitting you with a 12% rates hike.

This isn’t language revival.

It’s a cultural vanity project with a taxpayer funded price tag and we’re not even allowed to question it without being called names