Kia Kaha te Reo Māori
This year’s theme is ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ which means ʻlet’s make the Māori language strong’. Everyone who calls Aotearoa home has a huge part to play in securing te reo as a living, dynamic, and strong language.
The more we see, hear, and speak te reo, the more we normalise and strengthen it — so we’d like to shine a light on some of the inspiring work people are doing.
People we’re inspired by
Te Ataahia (Taahia) Hurihanganui
Firstly, we’d like to start off by showing our aroha for Taahia. Taahia recently ran a 10-week te reo course with us. Her passion and support for the needs of people who learn through seeing, doing and listening inspired us all. Through the course, she taught us fundamental Māori concepts and stories. She also taught us pronunciation, common phrases, and how to introduce ourselves in te reo.
In response to the devastating Christchurch mosque shootings earlier this year, Taahia and our advisor Meena collaborated to share 10 words people could introduce into their daily lives that celebrate unity.
Erica Sinclair
Erica Sinclair is a photographer that takes beautiful, mana (spiritual power) enhancing images. Her work truly captures Māoritanga (Māori culture) in a positive light. You cannot look at her work without being amazed by her talent.
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Ways to learn te reo
Tākaro
Tākaro is a game that engages people of all ages in learning kupu hou (new words) through a card game. It works like a memory game where you match symbols on different cards.
Through the game, you can learn new words to use in everyday conversation — for example, whare (house). As a result, the card game works towards normalising and strengthening the use of te reo Māori within our communities.
Te Kōtare
Music is a powerful way to engage people across New Zealand to speak more te reo Māori. Te Kōtare is waiata (songs) for children, teachers and whānau. The collection of waiata was created by the late Jenny Shearer. It’s a resource distributed to all early childhood centres, kura and primary schools across Aotearoa. As well as learning te reo Māori, you can also learn Māori stories — especially about our natural environment.
Check out Te Kōtare for music, animated video, translations and chords for everyone to enjoy and share.
Drops
Drops is a fun app for learning te reo Māori. We've been using it and loving how easy it is to spend 5 minutes a day learning new words. The app combines word games with visual and audio associations. And with native te reo speakers saying what each word sounds like, it’s great for learning pronunciation too. You can also use it to learn 30 other languages as well (if you’re feeling extra studious).
What can you do to make te reo Māori strong?
We hope you celebrate Māori Language Week, but it's important to carry what you do into everyday life. Here’s a list created by the people at Te Wiki o te Reo Māori to show how everyone can contribute to te reo revitalisation:
- learn a little, use a little
- learn more, and use what you know
- keep improving your language, and share what you know
- make te reo welcome at work and in the community
- encourage others to use and learn te reo Māori — welcome Māori language into your life
- pronounce Māori words correctly when speaking English.
Get in touch
Let’s make the things that matter, better.
Email: hello@springload.co.nz
Phone: +64 4 801 8205