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Māori Language Week

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Māori Language Week
Tariana Turia, Governor-General Patsy Reddy and Nanaia Mahuta celebrating Māori Language Week 2019
Native name Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Duration1 week annually
LocationNew Zealand
MotiveLanguage awareness

Māori Language Week (Māori: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori) is a government-sponsored initiative intended to encourage New Zealanders to promote the use of the Māori language, which is an official language of the country. Māori Language Week is part of a broader movement to revive the Māori language. Preceded by Māori Language Day from 1972 to 1974,[1] it has been celebrated since 1975 and is currently spearheaded by Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry of Māori Development) and the Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission), with many organisations including schools, libraries, and government departments participating.[2][citation needed]

History

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In the early 1970s as a part of the Māori protest movement, activist group Ngā Tamatoa, the Te Reo Māori Society of Victoria University, and Te Huinga Rangatahi (the New Zealand Māori Students’ Association) presented a petition to Parliament, petitioned the government to teach te reo in schools. On 14 September 1972, this petition, signed by over 30,000 people was delivered to Parliament, and became a major event in the revitalisation of te reo in New Zealand.[3][4][1] 14 September quickly began to be celebrated as Māori Language Day, and by 1975, this had grown to become the first Māori Language Week.[1]

The 1977 week in Dunedin featured "promotion girls" wearing Maori Language Week sashes, handing out Kia ora stickers in The Octagon all week and a two-day hui organised on the city's marae.[5]

2008

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The week in 2008 saw the release of Google Māori, a Māori-language translation of the search engine created as a collaboration between Potaua and Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule of Tangatawhenua.com, the Māori Language Commission and Google. The process took over a year and involved more than 40 people on the project, due to the difficulty of translating the technical terminology.[6]

2014

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For te Wiki o te Reo Māori in 2014, musicians Stan Walker, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi and Maisey Rika collaborated on the song "Aotearoa", as a challenge to get a second song in te reo to reach number one in New Zealand (after "Poi E" in 1984).[7][8]

2015

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On 2 August 2015 the Black Caps (the New Zealand national cricket team) played under the name of Aotearoa for their first match against Zimbabwe to celebrate Māori Language Week.[9]

2016

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Maimoa (then known as Pūkana and Whānau), a musical group created from the presenters of the Māori Television show Pūkana celebrated te Wiki o te Reo Māori by releasing the single "Maimoatia", written with Te Haumihiata Mason.[10] The song topped the iTunes downloads chart in New Zealand,[10] reaching number 4 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart's subchart for New Zealand musicians.[11]

2017

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The 2016 Disney film Moana was dubbed into Māori, premiering in Auckland on 11 September as a part of te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2017.[12] Rachel House, Jemaine Clement, Temuera Morrison, and Oscar Kightley, all cast members of the original English language version of the film, reprised their respective roles in the te reo version.[13][14] During the week, 30 theatres across the country held free screenings of the reo version.[12]

2019

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During Māori Language Week 2019, it was reported in New Zealand media that even kaumātua (elders) were learning te reo (Māori language).[15] It was also reported that more than one fifth of book sales during that week were Māori.[15]

To mark the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Rugby World Cup semi-final, where Hinewehi Mohi performed the national anthem in te reo, Mohi created Waiata / Anthems, an album where 11 New Zealand musicians re-recorded songs into te reo Māori.[16] The album debuted at number 1 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart,[17] and was one of the most successful albums of 2019 in New Zealand.[18]

2021

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At midday on 14 September 2021, te Wiki o te Reo Māori was celebrated with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – the Māori Language Moment, where over 1.1 million people pledged to use te reo at the same time.[19][20] On the same day, the Māori Party launched a petition to change the country's name to Aotearoa.[21]

Due to the success of Waiata / Anthems in 2019, the project was expanded to become Waiata Anthems Week, an annual release of a playlist in te reo Māori, with the goal of making the New Zealand music scene more bilingual.[22][23] In 2021, more than 30 musicians participated in the project, including Six60, whose single "Pepeha" debuted at number two on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.[24] Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne Region)-based choir Ka Hao also saw charting success, with their single collaborating with songwriter Rob Ruha, "35" (a reference to State Highway 35), reaching number 25.[25][26][27] September saw the release of many albums by popular musicians sung in te reo, including Lorde's Te Ao Mārama,[28] Stan Walker's Te Arohanui,[29] Alien Weaponry's Tangaroa,[30] and Ka Hao's Ka Hao: One Tira, One Voice.[27]

2022

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The 2022 celebrations of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori marked 50 years since the Māori Language Petition was presented to parliament.[31] To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Whittaker's released a special edition version of their milk chocolate, rebranded as Miraka Kirīmi (creamy milk) in te reo.[32] The rebranding caused widescale controversy due to racist backlash criticising the rebranding, and sparked a response to support the naming of the chocolate bar in te reo.[33][34][35]

The third Waiata / Anthems week was held prior to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, including over 20 musicians releasing new music in te reo, and a new series of TVNZ documentaries following popular musicians producing Māori language songs.[36] Among the most successful songs from the 2022 waiata include "Whāia te Māramatanga (Walk Right Up)" by Ladi6, a reimagining of Split Enz' "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" (1982) performed by Tim Finn and Hana Mereraiha, a remix of Moana and the Moahunters' 1991 single "AEIOU" by Tiki Taane, and "Ka Taria", performed by Rob Ruha and Drax Project.[37][38]

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Reception at the United States Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand on 19 September 2024

2025

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The year 2025 marked 50 years since the first Māori Language Week in 1975. By this milestone, "Te Wiki o te reo Māori has become one of the most recognised public celebrations and nationwide movements in the country".[39]

Dates and themes

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Year Dates Theme
1972
to
1974 		14 September[1] Māori Language Day[1]
1977 18-24 September[40]
2004 26 July – 1 August[41] “Give it a go − kōrero Māori”[42]
2005 25–31 July[43]
2006 24–30 July[44] “Kia kaha ake! Give it a go”
2007 23 July – 29 July[45] Tapoi (Tourism)[46]
2008 21 July – 27 July "Te Reo i te Kāinga" ("Māori Language in the Home")[47]
2009 27 July – 2 August[48] "Te Reo i te Hapori" ("Māori Language in the Community")[49]
2010 26 July – 1 August "Te Mahi Kai" ("The language of food")[50]
2011 4 July – 10 July "Manaakitanga" ("Hospitality" or "Kindness"[51])[52]
2012 23 July – 29 July "Arohatia te reo" ("Cherish the language")[53]
2013 1 July – 7 July[54] "Ngā ingoa Māori" ("Māori names")[55]
2014 21 July – 27 July "Te kupu o te wiki" ("Word of the week")[56]
2015 27 July – 2 August[57] "Whāngaia te reo (ki ngā mātua)" ("Nurture the language (in parents)")[58]
2016 4 July – 10 July[59] "Ākina te reo" ("Behind you all the way")[59]
2017 11–17 September[60] "Kia ora te reo Māori" ("Let the Māori language live")[61]
2018 10–16 September[62] "Kia Kaha te Reo Māori" ("‘Let’s make the Māori language strong")[63][64][65][66]
2019 9–15 September[67]
2020 14–20 September
2021 13–19 September[65]
2022 12–18 September[68]
2023 11–17 September[66]
2024 14–21 September[69] "Ake Ake Ake - a forever language" [70]
2025 14–20 September[71]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "History of the Māori language: Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Māori Language Week - Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". Te Taura Whiri English. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Māori Language Week". Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. 2021. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  4. ^ Keane, Basil (20 June 2012). "Ngā rōpū tautohetohe – Māori protest movements: Cultural rights". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Maori Language Week" The Otago Daily Times, 19 September 1977
  6. ^ "Google Māori helps te reo go places". The New Zealand Herald. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Aotearoa Stan Walker Ria Hall Maisy Rika Troy Kingi". flava.co.nz. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Stan Walker Released new song Aotearoa". morefm.co.nz. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  9. ^ "New Zealand to play as Aotearoa". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b Haunui-Thompson, Shannon (11 July 2016). "'It's a way of thinking' – Maimoatia". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Official Top 20 NZ Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  12. ^ a b Haunui-Thompson, Shannon (11 September 2017). "Moana in Māori hits the big screen". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Moana / English cast". Charguigou. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  14. ^ Te Reo Māori Moana Casting, Speak Māori, 8 June 2017, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 27 June 2017
  15. ^ a b Fuller, Piers (11 September 2019). "Māori Language Week: Never too old to learn te reo". Stuff.
  16. ^ "Waiata / Anthems out in September". Shane the Gamer. August 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Waiata Anthems Debuts at 1". Creative NZ. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  18. ^ "The 40 best-selling and most-streamed albums in New Zealand in 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  19. ^ Jacobs, Maxine (14 September 2021). "Aotearoa celebrates te reo Māori together in a single moment". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  20. ^ "More than a million said to take part in reo Māori moment". Radio New Zealand. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  21. ^ McClure, Tess (14 September 2021). "New Zealand Māori party launches petition to change country's name to Aotearoa". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  22. ^ Tyson, Jessica (30 August 2021). "New 2021 Waiata Anthems project launches next week". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  23. ^ Barton, Monika (23 September 2021). "'A truly wonderful feeling': Te Reo Māori music dominates NZ's official charts". Newshub. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  26. ^ Mahi Tahi Media (16 September 2021). "'35' by Ka Hao feat Rob Ruha is the TikTok anthem of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori". RE: News. TVNZ. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  27. ^ a b Marshall, Jack (15 September 2021). "Choir's ode to SH35 tops Hot 20 NZ Singles". Gisborne Herald. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  28. ^ McConnell, Glenn (9 September 2021). "Lorde releases debut te reo Māori album". Stuff. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  29. ^ McConnell, Glenn (4 September 2021). "Six60, Stan Walker, Anna Coddington and many others release new music in te reo". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  30. ^ Skipwith, David (10 September 2021). "Alien Weaponry's Europe audiences sing along in te reo". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  31. ^ "Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori marks 50-year struggle". Waatea News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  32. ^ Hendry-Tennent, Ireland (12 September 2022). "Māori Language Week: From te reo forecasts to groceries, here's how companies are celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori". Newshub. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  33. ^ Jacobs, Maxine (16 August 2022). "Chocolate lovers stand up against racist backlash to Whittaker's Miraka Kirīmi". Stuff. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  34. ^ Corlett, Eva (31 August 2022). "New Zealand minister wrapped up in Māori language chocolate bar row". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  35. ^ Hendry-Tennent, Ireland (16 August 2022). "Kiwis pledge to buy Whittaker's to annoy people angered by Te Reo rebranding". Newshub. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  36. ^ "Tim Finn spends some more time in a Leaky Boat for Waiata Anthems". Stuff. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  37. ^ "NGĀ WAIATA KAIRANGI I TE REO MĀORI O TE RĀRANGI 10 O RUNGA". Recorded Music New Zealand. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  38. ^ "Tiki Taane On His 'Stompy' Remake Of Te Reo Classic 'AEIOU' For Waiata Anthems". George FM. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  39. ^ Baily-McDowell, Layla (15 September 2025). "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebrates 50 years". Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  40. ^ "Māori Language Week" on Ngā Taonga Soynd & Visuon website, viewed 28 June 2025
  41. ^ "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week at Christchurch City Libraries".
  42. ^ "Give It A Go Korero Maori – launch of Maori Language Week". The Beehive. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, 25 July – 31 July 2005".
  44. ^ "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori / Māori Language Week 2006".
  45. ^ "Happy Maori Language Week! — Salient". salient.org.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  46. ^ "New Maori Language Resources Get Tourism Theme | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  47. ^ "Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori". The Beehive. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  48. ^ "Whakanuia Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2009! | Centre of Kawhia". www.naumaiplace.com. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  49. ^ "Māori Language Week 2009: Māori Language in the Community — Salient". salient.org.nz. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  50. ^ "Māori Language Week 2010" (PDF). West Coast DHB. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  51. ^ "manaakitanga – Māori Dictionary". maoridictionary.co.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  52. ^ ""Manaakitanga" theme for Māori Language Week 2011 | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  53. ^ "Arohatia te reo theme for 2012 Maori language week 2012". Radio New Zealand. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  54. ^ "Kōrero Māori". Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  55. ^ "New date and theme for Māori Language Week 2013 | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  56. ^ "Māori Language Week 2014". Conservation blog. Department of Conservation. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  57. ^ "Maori Language Week". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  58. ^ "2015 Māori Language Week | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  59. ^ a b "2016 Māori Language Week". Māori Language Commission. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  60. ^ "Māori Language Week 2017 | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  61. ^ "| Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  62. ^ "Māori Language Week 2018 | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  63. ^ "Māori Language Week 2019". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  64. ^ "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  65. ^ a b "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori". tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  66. ^ a b "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori dates confirmed for 2023. - Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". Te Taura Whiri English. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  67. ^ "Māori Language Week 2019 | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.planeta.com/maori-language-week-2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  68. ^ "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori". The New Zealand Curriculum Online. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  69. ^ "Māori Language Week 2024 | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori". www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  70. ^ "| Te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa". www.reomaori.co.nz/. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  71. ^ "50 years, one week, everyone's invited: Te Wiki 2025", Te Taura Whiri, retrieved 9 September 2025
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