Kaimahi and ākonga, Māori and non-Māori, are encouraged to engage in te reo and attend the activations being planned across our campuses this week

In brief:

  • Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is being celebrated across the motu this week from 14-21 September with activations planned across our Owairaka/Mt Albert, Waitākere and Ōtara campuses.
  • This year’s “Te Reo Towns” focus celebrates communities keeping te reo Māori alive and encourages its everyday use in workplaces, schools, marae, whānau and communities.
  • From tukutuku weaving and waiata to artmaking, games and fried bread making, kaimahi ‘staff’ and ākonga ‘learners’ are being encouraged to come together, learn and give te reo a go.

Te reo Māori will be heard, shared and celebrated across our campuses this week as we join communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week from 14–21September.

This year’s theme, Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language, has a particular focus on “Te Reo Towns” and bringing that kaupapa (purpose) into local communities by celebrating the places that have kept te reo Māori alive while encouraging towns, cities, workplaces, schools, clubs, marae and whānau across Aotearoa to make the language more visible, more heard and more commonly used in everyday life.

For our organisation, that means creating opportunities for our wider whānau to connect with te reo Māori in ways that are practical, social and meaningful.

From artmaking and traditional games at Ōwairaka/Mt Albert and Waitākere, to tukutuku weaving, waiata (singing) and fried bread making at Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae in Ōtara, there are opportunities throughout the week for everyone to participate.

Taharangi – Director Māori Success Vivienne Merito (left) and Director Māori Education Dr Wiremu Manaia in Ngākau Mahaki, Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae

Director Māori Education Dr Wiremu Manaia says Te Wiki o te Reo Māori provides an important opportunity for the organisation to come together around the language.

“Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an important opportunity for us to come together across MIT and Unitec to celebrate, strengthen and normalise te reo Māori within our everyday lives,” Wiremu says.

Dr Manaia encourages everyone – regardless of their level of te reo – to take part.

“You don’t need to be fluent or know a lot of te reo Māori — just come along, participate and give it a go.

“Every kupu (word) spoken and every opportunity we take to learn helps strengthen the reo and contributes to its future.”

Taharangi – Director Māori Success Vivienne Merito says this year’s focus on Te Reo Towns is particularly meaningful because it connects language with place, identity and whakapapa.

“One of the things I love about this year’s theme is that it centres us in place, where you come from, the importance of your identity and where you fit.”

Vivienne reflects on her own connection to place and the importance of understanding those links through te reo Māori.

“I’m from Whakatāne and I am a descendant of Wairaka, but as a kid I didn’t understand those connections.”

One of the week’s activations invites people to share where they are from – in te reo Māori, something Vivienne believes provides a powerful way to explore identity and whakapapa.

Kaimahi and ākonga are encouraged to take part in the activations taking place this week such as weaving

“When there’s a lot of change in the world, our whakapapa, our heritage and our identity comes through in our language. That’s why te reo is so important because it is the backbone of our culture and our heritage in Aotearoa,” she says.

Vivienne says being able to say where you come from in te reo is a great starting point for anyone wanting to engage in te reo.

“Being able to put your town, your city, your country, and identify that in te reo is the ultimate way of sharing your whakapapa and our collective whakapapa.”

That sense of connection sits at the heart of this year’s Te Reo Towns kaupapa – recognising that every community has a role to play in ensuring te reo Māori has a strong future.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is also an opportunity for our organisation to build that future together, says Dr Manaia.

“Te reo Māori belongs here, and Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori gives us an opportunity to celebrate that together as one MIT and Unitec whānau. Kia kaha te reo Māori!”

Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae, Otara will be the host venue for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori activations and events at our South Auckland campuses

 

NGĀ KAUPAPA O TE WIKI (ACTIVITIES FOR THE WEEK):

Location: Ngā Kete Wānanga Marae, Ōtara

Monday 14 September
8:00am – Karakia: Start the week together with morning karakia.
11:00am – 12:00pm – Basic Te Reo Māori Session. Facilitator: Kayne Haira (Wharenui)

Tuesday 15 September
11:00am – 12:00pm – Basic Tukutuku Weaving. Facilitators: Ngaire Molyneux and Kashmere Ratu (Wharenui)

Wednesday 16 September
12:30pm – 1:30pm – Waiata Session. Facilitator: Sonny (Wharenui)

Thursday 17 September
11:00am – 12:00pm – Fried Bread Making Session. Facilitators: Kashmere Ratu and Ngaire Molyneux (Wharekai)

Friday 18 September
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Closing Karakia and Shared Lunch (Wharenui & Wharekai)


Locations: Owairaka – Mt Albert & Waitākere

Week-Long Activation: Nō hea koe? Where do you call home?

Monday 14 September
10:30am 2:00pm – Mahi ā Toi (Art Making), Māia Centre, Te Puna B180-1001 (Mt Albert/Ōwairaka)

Tuesday 15 September
11:00am-1:00pm – Kawhe Kōrero (Coffee & Games), Koru Pod, Te Puna B180 (Mt Albert/Ōwairaka)

Wednesday 16 September
11:00am-1:30pm – Kawhe Kōrero (Coffee & Games), Whānau Room, B510 (Waitākere)

Thursday 17 September
12:00-2:00pm – Waiata & Kai (Singing & Shared Lunch), Puukenga B171 (Mt Albert/Ōwairaka)