Te Reo Māori
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is celebrated annually in September.
Māori Language week has been celebrated each year from 1975. Māori Language Day is 14 September and commemorates the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to Parliament.
Mahuru Māori is an initiative begun in 2017 to promote the use of te reo Māori throughout the month of September.
Why a week? Why not a year? Why not a decade? A century?
Because New Zealand is revitalising the Māori language and a part of that is celebration of our success and promoting te reo Māori. Māori language week is an opportunity for concentrated celebration, promotion and encouragement. And every minute of every hour of every day is a Māori language minute – we can choose to use te reo – every time we do, even just a ‘Kia ora!’ contributes to revitalisation.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is becoming a major fixture on the national calendar providing an opportunity for concentrated promotion, raising awareness and giving an opportunity for expert and advanced speakers to encourage others on their te reo Māori journey.
What can I do?
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Mā tātou katoa te reo Māori e whakarauora:
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Everyone can contribute to te reo Māori revitalisation:
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Why not have a go at Te Reo Māori?
Check out our short videos on Facebook and YouTube celebrating Te Reo Māori here in Kāpiti and encouraging you to use the language.
More videos will be added throughout the year, incorporating Te Reo phrases from Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission).
Council has an enduring partnership with tāngata whenua embedded through the Memorandum of Partnership and the partnership committee Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti. This committee has defined a vision for the district which includes four principles, the second of which outlines Te Reo as:
- the language of the tāngata whenua through which tikanga is conveyed and kawa and wairua expressed
- an official language of New Zealand and a deeply treasured taonga left by our Māori ancestors
- needing to be nurtured throughout all levels of the community
- a language which should continue to prosper and be spoken by future generations.
Order your coffee in te Reo Māori. The 11th video in the series of Ākina Te Reo – Give Te Reo Māori a go!
See our Ākina Te Reo playlist on YouTube for more Te Reo Māori videos.
'The theme Kia ora te Reo Māori was chosen to celebrate New Zealand’s indigenous greeting, and also as the words ‘Kia Ora’ are an exact description of the intent of the new partnerships for te Reo Māori revitalisation between the Crown and Māori under the new Māori Language Act 2016.'
Te Whakaminenga o Kāpiti, celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori at their partnership committee meeting in September. Kia ora te Reo Māori!
The chosen theme for 2019 is again 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’.
‘Kia Kaha’ is well understood in New Zealand English with its meaning of ‘be strong’. We often talk about languages as if they are people – talking about language health, strength and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'.
Strength for an endangered language comes from its status, people being aware of how to support revitalisation, people acquiring and using it and from the language having the right words and terms to be used well for any purpose.
Every New Zealander can help strengthen our language. We’re hoping that more organisations, companies and community groups than ever will plan to take part in Māori Language Week 2019. Kia Kaha!
Goals of Māori Language Week
- Create a positive environment for the use of Māori language.
- Promote Māori language initiatives and events.
- Encourage non-Māori speaking New Zealanders to use reo Māori.
- Encourage speakers of Māori to support others who are just starting out.
- Encourage community, business, government and media organisations to participate.
- Promote resources to make Māori language more accessible.
- Contribute to awareness of the Crown Māori Language Strategy and the Māori and iwi strategy that work together for revitalisation.
More information
Head to Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori website for more information and for downloadable resources for your workplace.
There will be light projections on exteriors of some key buildings around the capital – with The Embassy, Te Papa, and the Wellington Railway Station acting as canvasses for Te Reo Māori phrases to raise awareness and encourage the public to learn, practice, and spark a conversation.
The projections will run for three hours from about 6pm (once it is dark).
- Te Papa, 9–13 Sept
- Railway Station, 9–13 Sept
- Embassy Cinema, 9–11, 13–14 September
Key events:
- Mon 9 September, 12pm – Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Parade: Parliament Ground to Te Ngākau Civic Square
- Wed 11 September, 1.30–2.30 – Ruby (Kai Tahu) will give a special Te Reo Māori performance incorporating taonga pūoro: Paraparaumu Library
- Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori at City Gallery Wellington
- Saturday 14 September, 10am–1pm, Ōtaki Toy Library Party Whānau Day – Celebrating Te wiki o Te Reo Māori
Nau mai kia tirotiro haeretia ngā wāhi o tō tatou nei rohe! Come along and have a look around places in our district!