No Grounds for Division

A Simple Promotion Brews Unnecessary Controversy

Photo by Jakub Dziubak on Unsplash

Karaka Café in Wellington wanted to promote te Reo Māori as part of Māori language week. So, customers were offered a discount if they are willing to have a go at speaking a simple phrase (“please trim 10 percent off the price”). There was no pressure to do so and no penalty for opting out.

The promotion is, in other words, the most unobtrusive form of language promotion conceivable. A simple opportunity offered by a private business for customers to use one of our official languages in an informal and completely voluntary setting. It is hard to think of a milder cultural initiative.

So, of course, there was a negative reaction online.