Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox event {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Langx) 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. It has been celebrated since 1975 and is currently spearheaded by {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (the Ministry of Māori Development) and the Māori Language Commission, with many organisations including schools, libraries, and government departments participating.Template:Citation needed

History

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="TeAra">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NZHistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 14 September quickly began to be celebrated as Māori Language Day, and by 1975, this had grown to become the first Māori Language Week.<ref name="NZHistory"/>

2008

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2014

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).<ref name="flava.co.nz">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2015

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.<ref name="Aotearoa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2016

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.<ref name="RNZ2016">Template:Cite news</ref> The song topped the iTunes downloads chart in New Zealand,<ref name="RNZ2016"/> reaching number 4 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart's subchart for New Zealand musicians.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2017

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.<ref name="Moana">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref> During the week, 30 theatres across the country held free screenings of the reo version.<ref name="Moana"/>

2019

During Māori Language Week 2019, it was reported in New Zealand media that even kaumātua (elders) were learning te reo (Māori language).<ref name="stuff">Template:Cite news</ref> It was also reported that more than one fifth of book sales during that week were Māori.<ref name="stuff" />

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.<ref name="Shane">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album debuted at number 1 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart,<ref name="CNZ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was one of the most successful albums of 2019 in New Zealand.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2021

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the same day, the Māori Party launched a petition to change the country's name to Aotearoa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="TeAo">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Gisborneherald"/> September saw the release of many albums by popular musicians sung in te reo, including Lorde's Te Ao Mārama,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Stan Walker's Te Arohanui,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Alien Weaponry's Tangaroa,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Ka Hao's Ka Hao: One Tira, One Voice.<ref name="Gisborneherald">Template:Cite news</ref>

2022

The 2022 celebrations of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori marked 50 years since the Māori Language Petition was presented to parliament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Reception at Wellington, New Zealand on 19 September 2024 - 54.jpg

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

Dates and themes

Year	Dates	Theme
2004	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2006	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	“Kia kaha ake! Give it a go”
2007	Template:Dts – 29 July<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2008	Template:Dts – 27 July	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2009	Template:Dts – 2 August<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010	Template:Dts – 1 August	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2011	Template:Dts – 10 July	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2012	Template:Dts – 29 July	"Arohatia te reo" ("Cherish the language")<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2013	Template:Dts – 7 July<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2014	Template:Dts – 27 July	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2015	Template:Dts – 2 August<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2016	Template:Dts – 10 July<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Ākina te reo" ("Behind you all the way")<ref name=":0" />
2017	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Kia ora te reo Māori" ("Let the Māori language live")<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Kia Kaha te Reo Māori" ("‘Let’s make the Māori language strong")<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2019	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020	14–20 September
2021	13–19 September<ref name=":3" />
2022	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2023	11–17 September<ref name=":4" />
2024	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week – at NZHistory