Do your bit for te reo Māori – and for nature

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Ko tēnei Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – it’s Māori Language Week!

This year’s a big one. Aotearoa is celebrating 50 years since the first Māori Language Week in 1975. That’s 50 years of the revitalisation of te reo Māori: in our kura, communities, workplaces – and out in te taiao, nature.

Te reo Māori, like so many of New Zealand’s taonga, is threatened. But – like the environment – with collective understanding, care and action, the language will thrive.

This week we’re getting stuck in to some of the 50 reo-based wero/challenges developed by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. There’s a wero for everyone, whether you’re fluent, just starting out, or somewhere in between.

We reckon wero #12, ‘Taiao Tally’, is a good place to start when you’re out naturing in the ngahere.

For help learning Māori words and phrases you can use in nature, check out the ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Taiao’ booklet developed by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Ministry of Education and DOC.

The booklet was developed to provide information about the natural world, and to help you become familiar with te reo Māori words and phrases you can use while you are out enjoying te taiao, the unique environment of Aotearoa.

Download the Kia Kaha te Reo Taiao booklet (PDF, 8,877K)

Below, we’ve paired 5 useful phrases from the booklet with some small things you can do to make a big difference for nature. Give it a go!

1. Say ‘kāo’ to single-use plastics

Hei aha te kirihou, kei te whakaiti au i te nui o aku para

No plastic thanks, I’m trying to cut down on waste

We share te ao o Tangaroa, our marine environment, with more than 15,000 known species – including more species of manu tai/seabird than anywhere else in the world.

But things aren’t going well for our seabirds. More of them are at risk from ocean plastic than anywhere else in the world, and over 90% are in serious trouble.

Each single-use plastic you say no to, or pick up, makes a difference to nature.

2. Protect our wai Māori/fresh water

Kaua e whakakino i te wai

Don’t pollute the water

Water is essential to the Kiwi way of life. It’s where we swim. It’s where we fish. It sustains our economy.

But two-thirds of New Zealand’s awa/rivers aren’t clean enough to swim in, and nearly 4 out of 5 of our freshwater fish species are in serious trouble.

Keeping chemicals, detergents and rubbish out of stormwater drains is an easy way to protect our wai, wherever you live.

3. Plant a ponga (or kōwhai, or makomako)

He aha te rākau hei whakatō mā tāua?

What tree shall we plant?

Te wao nui a Tāne, New Zealand’s native flora, evolved in isolation for

millions of years. 80% of our trees, ferns and flowering plants are found only in Aotearoa.

Plant a ponga, or a kōwhai, or any of the other 2,000 plant species unique to this whenua, and you’ll be providing kai and a home for native animals like birds, bats, insects and lizards. Tau kē!

4. Connect with te taiao

Me hāereere pea tāua i te ngahere i ngā rā whakatā

Shall we go for a bushwalk this weekend?

Getting out into nature with friends or whānau makes you feel better. It will make you want to repay the favour.

If you’re looking for ideas, you’ll find short walks, day hikes, campsites and more on DOC’s discover the outdoors map.

5. Bring back the manu

Rē! Whakarongo ki te kōkī hapara

Wow! Listen to the dawn chorus

All around Aotearoa, Kiwis are bringing back the birds by trapping introduced predators, creating fenced sanctuaries and planting natives. You can bring the dawn chorus back to your backyard too – find out how.

Using kupu Māori in your everyday life, and out in nature, is an act of aroha for te reo Māori. Every word, and every speaker, counts. No action is too small to make a difference.

Kia kaha te reo Māori. Kia kaha te reo taiao.

Toitū te marae o Tāne
Toitū te marae o Tangaroa
Toitū te iwi

The land endures
The sea endures
We, the people, endure

MIL OSI