Celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
8 September 2022
Next week, from 12-18 September, we celebrate Te Wiki o te reo Māori (Māori language week).
Te reo revitalisation is an ongoing endeavour today because of the efforts of some extraordinary people. Normalising te reo Māori can come in many shapes and forms from hearing it on the radio, reading it in on social media and in newspapers, using it during our mahi and even just saying, “kia ora” when we answer the phone. Let’s continue to celebrate te reo Māori as a unique taonga (treasure) of Aotearoa New Zealand for future generations.
Te Wiki o te reo Māori this year is especially momentous. The Māori Language Petition (Te Petihana) was presented to Parliament on 14 September 1972, with over 30,000 signatures. It kickstarted major shifts in the revival of te reo Māori as a living language in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since this moment 50 years ago, Te Petihana has inspired the Māori language movement.
Having a dedicated week is a great chance to raise awareness and celebrate te reo Māori, as we continue on Aotearoa New Zealand’s journey on championing te reo Māori for years to come.
Kia kaha te reo Māori!
Te reo Māori Resources
These resources have been created and produced by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, and there’s a brilliant range of learning material that you can use in your workplace or your home.
There’s a bilingual signage guide, a guide to pronunciation, reo for around the office – and so much more, even a guide on phrases to use at Kirihimete (Christmas)!
Huatau (ideas) for speaking more te reo Māori
Te Taura Whiri te Reo Māori have put together a range of ideas to help you start using te reo Māori more often. They cover all your bases from whakarongo (listening) tools, tips for kōrero (speak), ways to ako (learn), ideas for tākaro (play), things to pānui (read) and waiata (sing).
Make a habit of using tohutō (macrons)
A tohutō (macron) is a line above a vowel to indicate that it should be spoken as a long vowel. You can make sure that your keyboard is set up so you can easily use Māori macrons.
Find out how to enable the Māori keyboard here
The journey of te reo Māori
Te reo Māori has experienced many successes and challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand. From being a language solely spoken in the early 1800s, to experiencing a complete reversal where English became the prominent language in the 1900s. It was only in 1987 that te reo Māori was recognised as an official language of New Zealand. To date, the history and journey of te reo Māori revitalisation has been incredible.
Te reo Māori words every Kiwi should know
Check out this list of 100 te reo kupu (words) that you’ll hear commonly. From concepts, greetings, common places, body parts – and more! There are also audio clips for each word, to help you with pronunciation.
Discover more
There are so many ways you can celebrate Te Wiki o te reo Māori. These are just a few ideas to get you off the ground, and help you feel more confident with te reo: