Tamariki from Önuku Marae hold up a sign for the correct pronunciation of Akaroa. The theme for Mäori Language Week was Ngä Ingoa Mäori – Mäori names. Photo: Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Mäori The Ministry of Business, Employment and Innovation translated its guide to employment rights into Tagalog, in view of the growing number of Filipino migrant workers in New Zealand. The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management released guidance for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and for people with disabilities to assist these groups during emergencies and disasters. language were also raised during New Zealand’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), with members of the Human Rights Council urging the New Zealand Government to expedite the development of a new strategy for protecting and promoting te reo Mäori. In December, the Government announced plans to consult on proposals for a new Mäori Language Strategy. The Minister of Mäori Affairs will report back to Cabinet in 2014 with a final proposal. The Commission launched A New Era in the Right to Sign, presenting the findings of a year-long inquiry into issues surrounding the use of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) since it was made an official language in 2006. Other NZSL developments included a new guide to the criminal justice system distributed by the National Foundation for the Deaf, as well as the addition of te reo Mäori vocabulary in the Online Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language. CERD and the UPR also recommended that the New Zealand Government should take specific measures to foster the retention and use of Pacific languages and community languages, by ensuring adequate resources are allocated for specific language programmes. UN urges support for te reo Mäori and Pacific languages In its 2013 report, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) raised concerns about the erosion of Mäori language and called on the Government to provide opportunities for all New Zealanders to develop the ability to communicate competently in both English and te reo Mäori. Concerns about the future of Mäori 54 Recent comments by the Government have left some people feeling concerned about the level of national commitment to retaining and promoting minority languages. For example, when responding to an inquiry on Pacific languages in early childhood education the Government said that whilst it would protect the right of Pacific peoples to promote their own languages, it believed it had no legal obligation to take action itself to preserve Pacific languages.41