Marama Davidson at the Green Party annual conference. The party is pushing for compulsory te reo at primary schools.

The Green Party has launched a fresh push at making te reo Māori a compulsory part of schools' core curriculum by 2025.

Party co-leader Marama Davidson launched the policy on Monday morning, the first day of Māori language week.

The party campaigned on compulsory te reo education by 2030 but was not able to secure the policy in coalition negotiations. Instead, the Labour-led Government has promised to make te reo classes available to all primary school students by 2025 - but not compulsory.

The Greens are now moving up the timetable of its compulsory policy, looking to get it set in by 2025 instead of 2030.

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Davidson said she wants her party to work with the education sector to develop the language as a core curriculum subject, with summit planned for October in Parliament.

"The Green Party's comprehensive te reo policy was developed in conjunction with Māori educators, Māori language experts, and the teacher unions," Davidson said.

Davidson said getting more te reo teachers into schools was a key problem, as many te reo-capable teachers have been poached for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

"There are principals who want to teach it but just can't find the teachers," Davidson said.

"Many of the te reo capable teachers - they can get other jobs using their expertise that are far more reasonably-paid. [Schools] are losing te reo capacity to other industries."

As the party holds no education ministerial portfolios they can more easily campaign independently of the Government on the issue.

That said, collective responsibility hasn't stopped several Labour ministers from getting into hot water by openly hoping the Government's 2025 policy would go further towards compulsion.

Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in May compulsory te reo in schools was a matter of "not if but going to be when".

This followed a similar utterance from Employment Minister Willie Jackson in December, and earned both ministers a rebuke from NZ First leader and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. NZ First steadfastly opposes compulsory te reo.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also avoided the word "compulsory", saying she wants to "keep the conversation going" past 2025.

The Greens didn't use the word "compulsory" in their press release on the new push, but "core curriculum" subjects like literacy and maths are taught to everyone able.

Davidson emphasised the "line in the sand" between the Greens and the wider Government while talking to Stuff.

"We welcome this Government's aim to have comprehensive te reo in schools by 2025. The Green Party is leading the way towards making te reo a core curriculum subject," Davidson said.

The Green Party appears to be on a larger independence push. On Saturday they announced a new policy calling for tough rental warrants of fitness that would stop properties being rented out until they were safe.

Davidson said she was straight up with the public about areas she thought the Government should be doing more on - like doubling the refugee quota, a policy which seemingly stalled last week.

"I'm going to be really upfront and say we think its wrong not do to this," Davidson said.

Last week National leader Simon Bridges told The AM Show he would "never" support compulsory te reo.

"I don't support compulsory, never will," Bridges said.

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