Despite Rapid Growth, Indian Languages Missing from NZ Schools

Leaders in New Zealand’s Indian community say public schools are failing to keep up with the country’s changing demographics, as Indian languages such as Hindi, Punjabi, and Gujarati remain absent from most classrooms, reports RNZ.

The 2023 Census recorded 292,092 people identifying as Indian, a 22% rise since 2018. Stats NZ figures show Hindi is now the fourth most spoken language in the country, while Punjabi ranks ninth and has grown faster than any other language in recent years, increasing by more than 45 per cent between 2018 and 2023.

Yet despite this rapid growth, Indian heritage languages have little to no official presence in public education, RNZ reported.

Rohit Kumar, editor of the Hindi literary magazine Bharat-Darshan, said many families want their children to learn their mother tongue but have no choice other than weekend classes run by volunteers. “These community schools are essential to keeping languages alive, but they vary in quality and don’t reach everyone,” he said, reports RNZ.

According to RNZ, Former New Zealand Indian Central Association president Narendra Bhana pointed out that a community-led school at Auckland’s Mahatma Gandhi Centre has been offering Hindi and Gujarati for nearly 80 years. “We have close to 100 kids attending every Sunday,” he said. “But with no funding and no trained teachers, it’s tough to sustain.”

Some schools in South Auckland have introduced Hindi classes in response to community demand. Papatoetoe North School runs bilingual Hindi classes for Years 3 to 6, while Papatoetoe High School has offered Hindi to junior students for more than a decade. But principal Vaughan Couillault said students often dropped the subject because it is not recognised under NCEA. “Without credits, it doesn’t count towards qualifications. That puts students at a disadvantage,” he said.

Education Ministry officials confirmed there is no requirement for schools to teach a second language, though Year 7 to 10 students should have access to one. Acting curriculum centre general manager Hayley Welch said a refreshed national curriculum, due in 2027, could widen opportunities for heritage languages.

Advocates say the time has come for Indian languages to be treated like Japanese or Chinese, which are already widely taught. “New Zealand is proudly multicultural,” said language teachers’ association president Juliet Kennedy. “Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati need to be part of that story,” reported RNZ.