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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Māori Language Week 2023

Māori language week – Te Wiki o te reo Māori (2023) starts on Monday and is an annual celebration held in September.

It is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration, promotion and encouragement of all things Māori.

You see, just 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.

Kiwis home and abroad are encouraged to learn and embrace the language, and also share and experience the rich culture of their country.

So, how can you and I observe Māori language week;

1. We can each make an effort to learn some new Māori words before the end of the week.

You could label some furniture or items in and around your house, and even name the rooms of your home in Māori i.e. rūma kaukau is bathroom, you may be able to find a tāora there and some whēru if it has a whare paku.

To make it more fun, you could get a friend to join you in learning. This way you can practice communicating in te reo (the language).

2. Many of us try to pronouncing Māori words without taking the time to learn how to pronounce them correctly.

So, if you’re not sure how to pronounce a word correctly ask a friend who speaks te reo Māori or look it up online.

Te Aka is a helpful online Māori dictionary and includes audio of individual words that can help you do this.

3. Alternatively, you may want to watch a television show in Māori. There is a dedicated channel for this here in Aotearoa (New Zealand) – Whakaata Māori (formerly known as Māori Television), promotes, revitalises and normalises the Māori language by taking a digital-first, audience-led approach in the delivery of educational, entertaining and engaging programming.

They have a wide range of programmes including shows for; kai (food), kapa haka (Māori performing arts), and our tamariki (children). 

Last year, Te Ope Whakaora (The Salvation Army) released an app called Te Kākano. This app has been developed to help people build their confidence, knowledge and capability to work effectively with Māori in whatever role they are in within Te Ope Whakaora!

It is an amazing app – creative, innovative, and easy to use!

There’s an incredible range of resources available to help you on your journey; from pronunciation to waiata, to pepeha and information around tikanga and practices. 

You can check it out or download it today by following the below links to find out how it may be of benefit to you and enhance your ministry in your local setting!

Apple devices – App Store

Android devices – Google Play Store

 

For a variety of other ideas and resources check out the Te Rangaihi Reo Māori – Hautau (Ideas) page, you’ll find a range of things that can help you learn how to:

Whakarongo | Listen
Kōrero | Speak
Ako | Learn
Tākaro | Play
Pānui | Read
Waiata | Sing

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

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Māori Language Week – Te Wiki o te reo Māori

Māori language week – Te Wiki o te reo Māori starts next Monday and is an annual celebration held in the third week of September. It is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration, promotion and encouragement of all things Māori.

You see, just 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.

Kiwis home and abroad are encouraged to learn and embrace the language, and also share and experience the rich culture of their country.

This year we remember and celebrate a significant event – 50 years ago a small group of people championed te reo when it was socially and politically unacceptable to do so.

In 1972 they presented a petition to parliament from 30,000 New Zealanders asking the government to teach the Māori language in schools.

It took until 1987 for te reo to be finally declared as an official language of Aotearoa (New Zealand.

On the Te Rangaihi Reo Māori Hautau (Ideas) page you can find a variety of resources that can help you to start your Teams Meeting or Zoom call with “mōrena”, or play Māori songs in your workplace. Why not check them out 🙂  

You can learn how to:

Whakarongo | Listen
Kōrero | Speak
Ako | Learn
Tākaro | Play
Pānui | Read
Waiata | Sing

The Salvation Army, ‘Te Ope Whakaora’ which translates to ‘the Army that Brings Life’ has recently released an app called Te Kākano.

This app has been developed to help people build their confidence, knowledge and capability to work effectively with Māori in whatever role they are in within The Salvation Army!

It’s an amazing app – creative, innovative, easy to use! There is an incredible range of resources available to help you on your journey; from pronunciation to waiata, to pepeha and information around tikanga and practices. We’ve loved engaging with it so far!

You can check it out or download it today by following the below links to find out how it may be of benefit to you and enhance your ministry in your local setting!

Apple devices – App Store
Android devices – Google Play Store

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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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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Latest War Cry (5 September) now available

This weekend sees the release of the latest War Cry (5 September) which is now available.

If you’re able to make it to our Sunday morning service @ 10:30am celebrating ‘Father’s Day’, look out for a copy of the latest print version if you prefer holding something and flipping the pages.

Why not grab an extra copy and give it to a family member, friend, neighbour, or work colleague and instigate a faith conversation around some of the themes enclosed within it.

Alternatively, you can view or download a copy online at Issue.com and share this post via facebook, or forward on the links to others 🙂

Within its pages you’ll find a variety of features and articles, including a feature on;

A Beautiful Collision; Where Faith and Culture Meet – War Cry wanted to bring together two significant calendar events coinciding with this issue: Father’s Day and Māori Language Week. Captain Shaun Baker shares how this looks like in his life and ministry.

Top Tips to Get Through – Our lives have once again been impacted by various Covid-19 lockdown scenarios. The country is fluctuating through differing levels and no one knows exactly what this will look like in the long term, but Captain Mat Badger would like to remind us each of some of the important things we can do in order to stay well as we move forward during these uncertain days.

Powerlessness in the Face of Covid-19 – Major Sue Hay explores how powerless we really are over our lives, plans, hopes and dreams.

You can also view / download previous publications here.

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