Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori/Māori Language Week kicks off in the Bay!

September 14th sees Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori/Māori Language Week kick off with the tagline, Kia Kaha Teo Reo Māori. Although traditional marches, to mark the beginning Māori Language Week, has been cancelled, Te Taura Whiri/Māori Language

Commission is calling on everybody to be involved one way or another. 

Try putting a little Te Reo Maori in your day and incorporate it into your vocabulary. Maybe try and order a coffee in Te Reo Maori or start some of your emails off with a Kia Ora and a Nga Mihi. 

This year marks 48 years since a small group of language champions presented a petition to Parliament from 30,000 New Zealanders asking the government to teach Māori language in schools.

The 1972 petition sparked a turnaround for generations of Māori who were beaten in schools for speaking their language and was the catalyst for that date becoming Māori Language Day – extended to Māori Language Week in 1975, an increase in Māori tuition across the country, and Māori becoming an official language in 1987.

There are plenty of events in the Bay of Plenty that is celebrating Māori Language Week here in the Bay Of Plenty! Check out the new feature block called 'Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) and head over to some of them! Maori language week events wrap up on Sunday the 20th of September.