Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week 2017

This year Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) is on from 11 to 17 Mahuru (September). In 2017 we also celebrate the 30th anniversary of te reo Māori as an official language of Aotearoa.

The theme for this year's Māori Language Week is -

Kia ora te reo Māori - Let the Māori language live

In celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori we will be publishing a blog post each day incorporating te reo Māori or highlighting te reo Māori resources:

• Rāhina: 30 years on, how far has the revitalisation of te Reo Māori come? by Maatakiwi
• Rātū: Celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with Tuhinga Pikitia – Te Reo Māori Picture Books by Bronwen
• Rāapa: Sleeps Standing / Moetū by Witi Ihimaera by Fiona
• Rāpare: Mai rānō – Way back when… by Janna
• Rāmere: What’s in a name? A whole story, actually! – Māori library names by Jo
• Rāhoroi: Stars of storytelling: Te Reo Wainene o Tua by Jemma

Te Reo Māori i Te Whare Pukapuka - Māori Language at The Library

Christchurch City Libraries - Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi will be celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with Wā Kōrero/Storytimes throughout the week with te reo Māori songs and stories. There will also be a couple of storytimes sessions extra to our usual schedule delivered by a bilingual presenter at Linwood and Aranui. 

See our events calendar for a session near you.

If kapa haka is more your thing, get your takahia on at Aranui Library, 2-3pm on Thursday 14 September where St James School - Te Kura o Hato Hemi will be performing.

Adding te reo Māori to your library experience can be as straightforward as the tap of a screen - why not simply try out the reo Māori option on our māu e tuku (self issue) machines?

Or learn a new kupu (word) by reading our bilingual library signs or even just learn to say the Māori name of your local library.

Mahuru Māori

Beyond the official week celebrating te reo, a further initiative, Mahuru Māori, encourages te reo Māori speakers of all levels of ability to commit to speaking te reo Māori only during the month of Mahuru/September. Other options are to speak te reo Māori anake during a chosen day of the week, or for one week of the month. Te reo speakers can join the Mahuru Māori Facebook Group for support and help to complete the challenge. For te reo tweets during September follow @MahuruMaori.

• Everyone can do the Mahuru Māori challenge (Māori Television)

Ngā Rauemi Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Resources

Whaowhia te kete mātauranga - Fill the basket of knowledge

There are many, many resources available for anyone wanting to improve their te reo Māori knowledge. Here are some suggestions for filling your basket.

• Te Reo Māori resources A list of resources in our libraries and online for learning Te Reo Māori.
• Te Reo Māori courses Search CINCH for community courses in the greater Christchurch area.
• 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know This useful resource includes sound files of the words being read out from nzhistory.net.nz.
• Māori words and phrases from Māori Language.Net, includes commands, phrases to use with children, months of the year, greetings and more.

Kōrero Māori ki... - Speak Māori at...

In addition to online resources and titles available at your local library, the following initiatives and events can help bring some te reo into your day.

• A cafe - Order your drink of choice in te reo at any of the cafes in our libraries (South, Upper Riccarton and Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre) or at The Kitchen cafe on the ground floor of the Christchurch City Council building on Hereford St and from 11-16 September you'll get an extra sweet treat to go with your drink. Need help with how to place your cafe order in te reo? Te Taura Whiri o Te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) has produced this fantastic guide to āwhina you.

Want to know how to order kawhe? #kiaoratereo #tereo #twotrm17 #mlw17 pic.twitter.com/rhut5lWehW

— Taura Whiri (@reomaori) August 31, 2017

• The post office - NZ Post is celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori this year with a range of stamps featuring Māori kupu (words) to do with technology. Learn new words like "ahokore" (wifi), "Pūnaha Kimi Ahunga" (Global Positioning System) or "waka hiko" (electric car).
• The movies (Moana Reo Māori) - Disney's hugely successful animated feature with a Polynesian setting, Moana, has been dubbed entirely in te reo Māori (including the waiata) and will screen in cinemas during Māori Language Week... for free (though online booking fees may apply). There are limited session times so get in quick for tickets. For a taste of what to expect, watch a video of the cast singing to Taika Waititi and whanau (via Facetime).
• Anywhere - Te Puni Kōkiri is distributing special "kōrero" badges so if you see someone wearing one it's a tohu that they can carry out a conversation in te reo Māori and are happy to do so. Give them a cheery, "kia ora" if nothing else!

Ngā Rauemi mō Ngā Tamariki - Children's Resources

• Te Reo Māori resources for kids
• Our bilingual Ready for Reading book "Te Wā Kōrero - Storytime" [22MB PDF]
• Te Papa Tongarewa have a Te reo Māori pukapuka mahi (Māori language activity book) to download suitable for kids 5-10 years.

Search our catalogue

• Māori songs for children
• Non-fiction in Te Reo Māori
• Children’s books in Te Reo Māori
• Books on vocabulary for children

We've also made lists of modern classic picture books in Te Reo Māori and Māori stories for older children.

If you know of other resources, events or initiatives in Ōtautahi to help people celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, please feel free to let us know about them in the comments below.