Language development is fundamental for cognitive growth, communication, survival and transmission of culture, values ​​and traditions (Hemara, 2000). Language reflects realities and establishes membership in the group that uses the language (Karetu & Waite,1998). Aotearoa The tangata whenua of New Zealand, the Maori people, speak te reo, a language they considered a taonga (Hemara, 2000). Historical circumstances have brought about many changes in the Māori lifestyle which have caused the use and status of te reo to decline. Ko te reo te hā te mauri o te māoritanga. When the nation loses its language, it loses its soul. The issue of the declining use and status of Te Reo is an issue deeply rooted in the history of colonization of Aotearoa New Zealand that resonates in the present and will impact the future. It is an issue that needs to be considered with the utmost care and broad understanding in relation to bicultural development in the modern, global era of Aotearoa New Zealand. Formal education in Aoetaroa New Zealand has begun to use Māori as the medium of instruction. It was widely used for socio-cultural and political interactions between Maori people and between Maori and Pakeha (Hemara, 2000). Māori society during the 1830s was unique in its belief system, culture and language. Te reo is their way of cultural immersion, transmission and integration (Hayward, 2004). When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, Māori remained the language of the people, allowing for the publication of the first Māori-language newspaper. In the 1850s the massive Pakeha migration exceeded the total population of local Maori. The impact of colonization has taken place. The signing of the treaty brought about a change in the mentality of...... middle of paper .......Walker, R. (1996). Ngā pepa in Ranginui/The Walker Papers. Auckland: Penguin Books.Walker, R. (2008). The philosophy of Te Whatu Pokeka: Kaupapa Māori assessments and learning examples. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/education/about/research/docs/first%20years/fyv10issue2walker.pdf Waitangi Tribunal (1986). Waitangi Tribunal report on te reo complaint. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nzWilliams, J. (2004). Papa-tūā-nuku. Attitudes towards the earth. In T. M. Ka'ai, J. C. Moorfield, M. P. J. Reilly, & S. Mosley (eds.), Ki te whaiao. An introduction to Māori culture and society (pp. 50-60). Auckland: Pearson Education.Williams, N., Broadley, M.E., Te-Aho K. (2012). Ngā Taonga Whakaako: Bicultural competence in early childhood education. Ako Aotearoa National Center for Tertiary Teaching Excellence: Wellington.