Source: Porirua City Council
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) is nearly here and this year there will be plenty of events on in Porirua to mark a special birthday.
The week, which runs this year from 14-20 September, is an annual celebration for all New Zealanders to show their support for Te Reo Māori, an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand.
This year’s Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is the 50 th time it has been celebrated, growing from a single Māori Language Day in 1972 to a fully fledged week three years later. Its growth and gains are what we recognise 50 years on.
Porirua’s General Manager Community & Partnerships, Reuben Friend, says a week of events is a time to embrace, honour and spread te reo in our community.
“ E whaiwhai ake te kaunihera o Porirua i te kaupapa mō tēnei tau, arā ko te huritau 50 e whakanuia ana i tō tātou reo Māori, hei reo mō ake ake ake. | Porirua City Council supports this year’s theme of 50 years of celebrating Māori Language Week, and of Māori being a forever language.
“It is already well-integrated into our society and phrases and expressions have become the norm for many of us, but it is important that this becomes even more ingrained,” he says.
“It’s 38 years since te reo Māori became an official language in Aotearoa, so it’s up to everyone to be kaitiaki of the language and make it stronger than ever.
“Te Reo Māori is undeniably a forever language.”
