Languages in our school

Everyone in our school has their own main language spoken in school and in some cases another language spoken at home. Almost everyone speaks English and others speak in their own ways. For example: The people in the Pacific Islands have their own ways to speak and so do the people in Asia. In our class, most of the people in our class have English as their first language but many more have different languages they would prefer to speak at home.

Survey: Why is your language important to you?

This survey is based on asking different people around Waitakere College why their language is important to them.

• Because it indicates where I came from and my homeland. – Camilla
• Because if you forget it, it’s like betraying your ancestors that got you here. – Crisanto
• Because it’s part of my culture. – Stefan
• Because many ancestors in New Zealand were part or full Maori, so no one should forget the Māori language. – Jaylen
• Because it gives me a clear idea on what my cultural language is about compared to others. – Senio
• Because it is important to know your roots and to know where you are from and to speak the language of your people. – Rangi
• Because it shows how unique our culture is. It makes us different from the world and our language is something that we can call our own. – Flow
• It is important because it defines our culture and where we come from. It is also important because it is another way of helping us communicate with others. – Junior

Cultures in the whole school

• Samoan
• Tokelauan
• Tongan
• Cook Island Maori
• Niuean
• Fiji
• Tuvaluan
• Other Pacific People
• Filipino
• Indian
• Chinese
• Cambodian
• Vietnamese
• Sri Lanka
• Korean
• Japanese
• Other Asian
• Maori
• New Zealand/European

Main greetings spoken in our school

• Māori: Kia ora
• English: Hello, Hi
• Samoan: Talofa lava, Malo
• Tokelauan: Malo Ni
• Tongan: Malo e li lau
• Cook Island Māori: Kia orana
• Niuean: Fakalofa lahi atu
• Fijian: Bula vinaka
• Filipino: Kumusta
• Indian: Namaste
• Chinese: Ni hao
• Tuvaluan: Talofa

Languages spoken at home in our class 10D

• English: 32
• Māori: 6
• Samoan: 6
• Tuvaluan: 1
• Tamil: 1
• Tagalog: 2
• Niuean: 1
• Hindi: 2
• Thai : 1
• Farsi : 1

Stefan, Elijah, Jaylen, Tafa