Because most people from Kiribati use the central dialect, the number of southern dialect speakers is steadily decreasing. Moreover, immigration out of Kiribati to New Zealand and Australia is contributing to a language shift toward English in diaspora communities of Kiribati speakers.
Some ways in which the southern dialect of Kiribati can be revitalized are by establishing language nests, immersion programs and master-apprenticeship programs especially in these diaspora communities.
Language nests are preschools and day-cares in which only the southern dialect of Kiribati will be spoken. This is a good way to prime young speakers in the community because many people in the Kiribati Diaspora speak English in the home.
Immersion Programs are schools in which subjects will be taught only in the southern dialect of Kiribati.
Master-Apprenticeship Programs pair younger Kiribati people with masters of the southern dialect and live together and converse in the southern dialect.