January 27, 2026

#hakinakina Te Reo Māori Takes Its Place at the Winter Olympic Games

Matthew Tukaki Posted On January 27, 2026

Te reo Māori is set to be heard, seen, and celebrated on the world stage again at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, marking a new chapter in Aotearoa’s cultural presence at global sporting events.

Building on the success of the world-first bilingual glossary Te Reo Māori ki Parī 2024, Te Kapa o Aotearoa-the New Zealand Olympic Team-is taking te reo Māori to one of the world’s most watched sporting arenas once more. This time, the kaupapa comes in the form of Te Reo Māori ki Mirāno Kotīna 2026, a Māori–English sports glossary that expands Māori language across the unique disciplines, environments, and moments that define the Winter Games.

The glossary doesn’t just list words. It reflects the evolving language of high-performance sport through a Māori worldview, naming ice, snow, speed, endurance and more in te reo Māori while continuing to grow the language in contexts many Kiwis might never have imagined before.

Nicki Nicol, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, says the resource is about identity, pride, and unity as much as vocabulary. She emphasises that cultural preparation-such as workshops and haka practice at a Winter Wānanga in Māwhera-has been woven through the team’s build-up, ensuring that athletes carry the spirit of home with them wherever they compete.

Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, Chief Executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, says creating new kupu and kīanga for Winter Olympic sport affirms te reo Māori’s relevance in all areas of life-including elite international sport-and demonstrates the language’s dynamism and adaptability. Hearing te reo Māori used on the ice in Italy or from living rooms in Aotearoa, he says, is part of normalising te reo Māori globally, and shows it can grow alongside the modern world it describes.

As part of a broader partnership with the New Zealand Olympic Committee and broadcaster Rangiata Sky, te reo Māori will be integrated alongside English in commentary, coverage, and fan engagement-helping ki te educate, amplify, and celebrate Māori culture with audiences both at home and abroad.

Whether through broadcasts, school programmes, or whānau watching from afar, this glossary aims to bring te reo Māori into moments of collective pride and celebration, weaving the language into a global story of sporting achievement and cultural connection.