Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Monday 11 - Sunday 17 September 2023. Put these dates in your calendar e hoa mā and join us for a variety of exciting national and local kaupapa or events.

‘Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori’ is projected on the side of the Te Papa building as viewed from across the waterfront.

Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori - making the the Māori language stronger - is the national theme for 2023.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an annual campaign led by Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) promoting te reo as a language for all New Zealanders. Every year the campaign encourages whānau from across Aotearoa, including organisations, schools, workplaces, and homes, to give te reo Māori a go.

Te reo Māori has been an official language of New Zealand since 1987, and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been celebrated in New Zealand since 1975, in an effort to raise awareness of the language, and get New Zealanders to embrace te reo Māori and use it more.

Kapa haka group Te Ahi a Tahurangi perform for Ngā Kapa Haka o Te Matatini.
Te Ahi a Tahurangi, Ngā Kapa Haka o Te Matatini. Photo by Renati Photography.

Te Hui Ahurei Reo Māori o Te Whanganui-A-Tara

Āhea | When   Monday 11 - Sunday 17 September 2023 
Ki hea | Where   Te Whanganui-a-Tara

By popular demand, Te Hui Ahurei Reo Māori o Te Whanganui-a-Tara is returning this year with a new programme of events throughout Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

This year’s festival brings two of the best kapa haka groups in the world to headline the programme. In collaboration with Te Matatini, the 2023 joint second-place winners Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti and finalists Angitu will perform their distinctive style of haka for Ngā Kapa Haka o Te Matatini.

These performances will be at the Michael Fowler Centre. For tickets, information, and the full events programme, see tereofest.nz.

The festival is part of Council’s commitment to Māori through our Tūpiki Ora Māori strategy. Tūpiki Ora is a strategic plan to support our whānau to thrive, improve well-being, and provide a better future for our mokopuna.

Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori | Māori Language Moment

Āhea | When   12noon, Thursday 14 September 2023 

Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori marks the very moment Te Petihana Reo Māori (The Māori Language Petition) was submitted to Parliament in 1972. Kōrero (speak), waiata (sing), pānui (read) – whatever you do, do it in te reo Māori.

For information and resources, see reomaori.co.nz

Download Mahau – a reo Māori app

Give te reo Māori a go any day and anywhere with Mahau, a free, easy-to-use, interactive app to help people get started on their te reo journey, the perfect digital companion for Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori. The app was developed alongside Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Te Āti Awa Taranaki Whānui to help beginners with te reo words and pronunciation of everyday phrases, as well as destinations and place names across Pōneke.

Download Mahau from Google Play or iTunes to celebrate, encourage and share te reo Māori.

Our Te Tauihu policy Te Tauihu – te reo Māori Policy aims to make the capital a bilingual city by 2040, with te reo Māori sitting comfortably alongside English in all our cultural, creative, and political endeavours.