Te ao Māori
Explore the world of Māori language, culture, history and more.
E tipu e rea mō ngā rā o tō ao
Ko to ringaringa ki ngā rākau a te Pākehā
Hei oranga mō tō tinana
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā tāonga a ō tipuna Māori
Hei tikitiki mō tō māhuna
Ko tō wairua ki tō atua
Nānā nei ngā mea katoa
(Tā Apirana Ngata)
Tēnā koutou katoa. E ngā mana, e ngā waka, e ngā hau e whā e te iwi whānui tēnā koutou. He mihi whānui atu tēnei na Ngā Kete Wananga o Ōtautahi tēnā koutou. Nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei wāhi, he ara ki ngā rauemi me ngā ratonga Māori. Tēnā tātou katoa.
Me Kōrero Tātou, part of a series
Let's speak and build our te reo Māori skills together! Join us at Shirley Library for a friendly kōrero.
Te Kāhui Ohua, part of a series
Te Kāhui Ohua is a casual, monthly reading group at Tūranga that celebrates the Ngā Pounamu Māori collection. All welcome!
Māori Land Court Drop In Advisory Clinic, part of a series
Staff from the Māori Land Court answer questions and provide advice on a range of enquiry types to do with Māori land.
Rātāpu: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with Justice
Ko tēnei te rā whakamutunga mō te wiki o te reo Māori, kei runga noa atu tātou huri noa i te motū.
Rāhoroi: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with Justice
Mihi ki ngā hau e whā, e mihi maioha ana ki a koutou i tēnei rangi mō tō koutou māia i raro i te maru o te kaupapa, kia kaha i te reo Māori
Rāmere: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with Justice
I tēnei rā, ko ‘pono’ te kupu mō te rā nei. Today’s word is ‘pono’ which translates into ‘honest/true’.
Rāpare: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with Justice
Mauri ora e te whānau i tēnei rangi, E rere tōnu ana te mihi ki a koutou mō te hiki i te wero i tēnei wiki, ara ko kia kaha i te reo Māori …
Te reo Māori - Māori language
Recommended Māori language information and resources.
Bilingual Story Cards
Ignite imagination and improve literacy with our bilingual story cards for tamariki - at libraries for $19 for a pack of 60 cards.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Pukapuka for Tamariki
A selection of titles using Te Reo Māori for Tamariki.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Adults - 2023
Recent Te Reo Māori titles for adults.
Learning te reo Māori
Explore library resources to help with learning and improving your reo Māori.
In the catalogue
Te Ao Māori for tamariki
Māori resources for tamariki. Get crafty, read and learn te reo Māori, and explore.
Matariki - Māori New Year
Learn about the stars of Matariki, the traditions surrounding this time of year, and how you can celebrate.
Matariki resources and information
Matariki: Māori New Year
Stars of the Matariki cluster set on 13 Haratua / May, and rise 10 to 13 Takuru / July. Celebrate Matariki with Christchurch City Libraries.
Matariki for Tamariki
Find out all about the traditions of Māori New Year on our Matariki for Kids page.
Matariki websites
A hand-picked list of websites with information and resources about Matariki and Māori astronomy.
Rerehua / Taoka Pūoro - Arts and Music
Books and reading
Staff picks, book reviews, award-winners - Fiction and non-fiction by Māori authors or about Te Ao Māori.
Pakiwaitara - eBooks
Sit back, relax and enjoy one of these eBooks. This list focuses on works by Māori authors including Patricia Grace and Whiti Hereaka.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Adults - 2023
Recent Te Reo Māori titles for adults.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Pukapuka for Tamariki
A selection of titles using Te Reo Māori for Tamariki.
Ngaio Marsh Awards 2022: The Last Guests is the best yet!
Ahead of his appearance at WORD, Fee reads Ngaio Marsh Award nominee, JP Pomare's The Last Guest, a twisty mystery that keeps her guessing.
Powerful, Confronting: Michael Bennett's Better The Blood
Fee reviews Michael Bennett's "brilliantly written police procedural" that lays bare Aotearoa's brutal history of colonisation.
Greta & Valdin: A comedy of tangled love and whānau
Moata reviews Rebecca K. Reilly's witty and warm story of the lives and loves of Russian-Māori siblings in contemporary Auckland.
Missbeecrafty reads the NZ Book Awards: Picture books
Missbeecrafty runs through the picture book finalists in this year's awards and picks a possible winner.
In the catalogue
Award winners
Pikihuia Award finalists
Finalists in the biennial Pikihuia awards for Māori writers in English or te reo Māori have been announced.
Te Kura Pounamu Award for Te Reo Māori
Shortlisted titles for New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults award for books in te reo Māori.
The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2021
Includes Te Mūrau o te Tuhi Māori Language Award for books written entirely in te reo Māori.
Tāhuhu Kōrero - History
Our Tāhuhu Kōrero - History section has information on Māori local history, Treaty of Waitangi, Māori place names, and historical events like Parihaka.
Tī Kōuka Whenua
Explore the vibrant past of Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region that extends back many hundreds of years before 1850.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi - The BWB Treaty of Waitangi Collection
Online access to a range of landmark resources on the history of the Treaty of Waitangi and its ongoing relevance today.
Parihaka
There was a peaceful resistance to a militia invasion of Taranaki settlement Parihaka 5 November 1881. Discover the Christchurch connection.
For future generations: He Rau Mahara
Allanah Burgess, Project Advisor for Whakapapa Ngāi Tahu, explains the purpose and origins of He Rau Mahara.
Whakapapa - Genealogy
Resources and advice on researching Māori family history at library. You can also book a librarian for one-on-one research help.
Whakapapa website resources
Whakapapa - Genealogy websites
Links to online resources and websites about Whakapapa.
Whakapapa guide
A guide to using library resources in researching whakapapa, (Māori family history).
Iwi - Tribal websites
Links to online resources and websites about Iwi (tribes).
Te ao tūturu - The natural world
Explore Māori use of natural resources for food, fibre or health.
Featured resources, Te ao tūturu - the natural world
Harakeke
This page explores the history and tikanga of harakeke (New Zealand flax), and how it is harvested and woven.
Tī Kōuka – The Cabbage Tree
The cabbage tree was a significant food source for early Māori and provided a fibre resource prized for its strength.
Te rongoā Māori
Rongoā is the word for remedies that are created from natural plants and trees. Find resources about te Rongoā Māori.
Traditional Māori kai
The Māori word for food is kai. Find out about traditional Māori food sources and food preservation practices.
At the library
Find out more about the services and resources available at Christchurch City Libraries.
Te ao Māori at the library
Bilingual signage at Christchurch City Libraries
A list of all te reo Māori signage terms in use throughout our libraries.
Māori library names
All of our libraries have te reo Māori names. The history and stories behind these names, and audio to help with pronunciation.
Waruwarutū / Ngā Pounamu Māori collection
About the community space which holds the Ngā Pounamu Māori collection, a collection with special emphasis on Te Ao Māori at Tūranga.
Sustainable Library Cards
Learn about the Māori designs inspired by Matariki and philosophy behind our biodegradable library cards.
Bicultural plans
- Te Ara Tika 2012 to 2014
- Te Ara Hou – The New Pathway 2008 – 2010
- Ngā Tapuwae Hou / New Footsteps (to 2007)
Issue books in te reo Māori
All our libraries have self checkout machines with a te reo Māori option.
New Māori titles
See the latest Māori resources added to the library's collection.
