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September 15, 2025
Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr on Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
Dale Husband
Posted On September 15, 2025
Download AudioIt is the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).
Communities, schools, and workplaces across Aotearoa are once again uniting to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week – a time dedicated to recognising, revitalising, and normalising the country’s indigenous language.
The annual celebration, which began in 1975, has grown into a nationwide movement that sees millions of New Zealanders take part in events, workshops, and cultural activities designed to promote the use of te reo in everyday life.
Government agencies, schools, local councils, and private businesses are marking the occasion by hosting bilingual events, creating resources in te reo Māori, and encouraging staff and students to use Māori greetings, phrases, and karakia in daily routines.
Māori Development Minister and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) emphasised that Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is not only a week of learning words but a reminder that language is central to identity and culture.
“Every word spoken is a step toward keeping our language alive. Te reo Māori belongs to all of us in Aotearoa.”
The week also connects to the growing movement from Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori – the Māori Language Moment – where hundreds of thousands of people pause to say a phrase, sing a waiata, or reflect on their reo journey at the same time.
From kapa haka performances to reo workshops, bilingual signage, and special programming on radio and television, the celebration continues to reflect the resilience and revival of a language once suppressed in schools and public life.
With more New Zealanders enrolling in reo classes, bilingual schools expanding, and everyday use of Māori phrases becoming more common, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori serves as both a celebration of progress and a call to action: to keep speaking, learning, and strengthening te reo Māori every day of the year.
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