Māori Party call for coins to be bilingual

  • 01/08/2015
Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell (File)
Maori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell (File)

The Māori Party wants New Zealand coins to have both Māori and English on them.

New $5 and $10 bank notes are expected to be distributed in October this year that will have more Te Reo Māori on them, with $20, $50 and $100 notes to follow suit next year.

Party co-leaders Marama Fox and Te Ururoa Flavell want Māori language to be shared with others, and have reflected this during Maori Language Week.

They encourage The Reserve Bank to print more Te Reo Māori on upcoming coins, since the bank has already committed to making changes on bank notes.

"We think this small idea could make some huge change because everyone uses money," says Ms Fox.

"What we're saying is when the current coins expire, it would be great for the new batch to have the Māori language on them not just images," says Mr Flavell.

The Māori Party hopes to meet with The Reserve Bank to discuss the idea.

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