Ko tēnei te wiki o te reo Māori! Each day this week we'll be posting about a different aspect of strengthening te reo Māori.
Sitting in the heart of the Māori culture and traditions are waiata. These songs contain experience and knowledge to inspire us, to be passed from generation to generation. Listening and singing along to waiata is an additional way to support your learning and boost your confidence in speaking te reo.
If you have not been lucky enough to have been taught one first hand then the New Zealand Folk Song Website has some great tunes with English translations. I particularly like He Hōnore as it’s the first song I learnt in te reo.
If you are just starting to learn te reo or have children that are learning a great way to help is to borrow some of our music CDs. Check out this list for some ideas of where to begin your search.
Te kōtare - waiata Māori for children, teachers and whānau
Whitiora - Maisy Rika's third album
Songs for Bubbas - Anika Moa's first album of children's lullubies
Waiata - 50 years of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa recording career
Waiata - hits from Howard Morrison, Prince Tui Teka, John Rowles and more
Another way to get some waiata into your week would be attending one of our storytimes sessions this week, which will all have some te reo Māori waiata included. Singing along makes it more fun for everyone!
There are some great recent examples of waiata from popular New Zealand artists such as Stan Walker, Anika Moa and Maisey Rika. A new album, Waiata / Anthems, opens a new window, is being released this September to coincide with Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori. It features some of the big hits from the likes of Six60, Drax Project, Sons of Zion in te reo.
For some nice sites that give you access to waiata in downloadable formats, take a look at Kotahi Mano Kaika, opens a new window (Ngai Tahu) and Hei Waiata, opens a new window (The Ministry of Education).
More information
- Learning te reo Māori Library resources to help with learning and improving your te reo Māori.
- What's on in libraries for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2019
- More posts about strengthening te reo Māori.
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