Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) is an annual celebration held in the third week of September, and this year, it takes place from September the 16th (next Monday) through to the 23rd.

The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’.

It symbolises hope and represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of the language. It also reflects the commitment New Zealanders have to embracing and learning te reo Māori (the Māori language) long into the future.

In the mid-20th century there were concerns that te reo Māori was dying out, and on the 14th of September 1972 Te Petihana Reo Māori (the Māori language petition) was delivered on to the steps of Parliament. This historic event kicked off Māori Language Week and has since 1975 been celebrated in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

It is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration and promotion of te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language.

However, in ten short years it became the subject of a Waitangi Tribunal claim and the tribunal’s recommendations led to far-reaching legislative and policy changes.

Surprisingly, it took another couple of years for te reo Māori to become an official language of New Zealand and in the same year Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori language commission) was established to help promote te reo.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is part of a broad te reo Māori revival programme and raises public awareness for the language through promoting its learning and public usage in everyday life.

How can you get involved / participate?*

1. You could learn a Māori kupu (word) or phrase each day throughout the week by using the Kupu o te Rā app for your your phone, tablet or computer here.

It is a Māori language word of the day service that can not only help you discover and learn a variety of different words and phrases, it can also assist you with the proper pronunciation and grammar.

Alternatively, the NZ History website provides a list of 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know as well as 365 useful words and phrases in te reo Māori.

2. You may like to create and share your pepeha with friends and family, which is a way of introducing yourself in Māori. It tells people who you are, and your heritage by telling a story of the places you’re connected to and the people that are important to you. The Pepeha website offers information about pepeha and helps users write their own. 

3. You could learn a waiata (song), or haka (dance). Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga (the Ministry of Education) have created Hei Waiata, Hei Whakakoakoa, a collection of waiata and haka which includes mp3 recordings, a songbook with lyrics, song sheets, and suggestions for activities that you can download .

As a whānau (family) you could learn one or two of these throughout the week at home and share them with your wider whānau, school, community group, or church.

4. You could explore some local Māori place names and learn the meaning behind them, their historical significance, and how to pronounce them correctly.

An example could be; ‘Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu’.

This is one of the longest place names in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records and was given by the local Māori people, Ngati Kere to a hill to celebrate their ancestor Tamatea Pokai Whenua.

The meaning is, “The hilltop, where Tamatea with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau to his beloved”.

5. Or maybe you’d like to read some Māori myths and legends. This collection of well-known stories either written or retold by Wiremu Grace is based on Māori oral traditions and has been handed down through the generations.

Whatever you do throughout the coming week, and even over the coming months, can help you learn more about te reo and raise your awareness of Māori people and their culture – I hope you enjoy these links and resources. 

Turou hawaiki (may the force be with you / blessings upon you) ’til next time 🙂

* Adapted from Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga (the Ministry of Education) website.  

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Te Wiki o te reo Māori – Māori Language Week

Te Wiki o te reo Māori – Māori language week starts this coming Monday and is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration, promotion and encouragement of Māori.

Every minute, of every hour, of every day is a Māori language minute which we can choose to use te reo.

Every time we do, even just a saying a simple ‘Kia ora!’ contributes to revitalising the Māori language, and Te Wiki o te reo Māori is becoming a major fixture on the national calendar here in New Zealand.

This provides an opportunity for the promotion, raising of awareness of the Māori language and giving an opportunity for expert and advanced speakers to encourage others on their te reo Māori journey.

The Māori for ‘The Salvation Army’ is ‘Te Ope Whakaora’, which is translated as ‘the Army that Brings Life’ and we here @ Wellington City Corps are committed to honouring the principles of partnership, protection and participation inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi).

Territorial Headquarters have set out four goals in which we can start working towards incorporating the Māori Ministries Te Ōhākī (Strategic Plan) into our Corps setting.

Over the coming year this is something that we will be looking to incorporate. (Check them out here).

For more information on how you can promote the Māori language in the coming week check out Te Wiki o te reo Māori and Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori (the Māori language commission) websites.

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