Source: Te Mātāwai
9 September 2026 – Rotorua is inviting locals and visitors to make te reo Māori part of everyday life for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, 14 to 20 September 2026, and beyond.
Led by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) and Te Mātāwai, Te Reo Towns encourages towns and cities of all sizes to showcase te reo Māori in the places we live, work, and connect every day.
Te Mātāwai Co-Chair and Poutaki of Te Pae Motuhake o Te Arawa Waka, Ruakiri Fairhall says Rotorua is a proud Tāone Reo Māori and became the first bilingual town in Aotearoa in 2017.
“Te reo Māori flourishes when it is spoken in our homes, workplaces, schools and communities. We want Te Wiki o te Reo Māori to bring more reo Māori to our eyes, ears, and hearts, but the real success comes when people continue using it long after the week has ended.
“Through everyday interactions, we’re helping create a Hawaiki Mokopuna future where our tamariki inherit a living, thriving language. Kia Pūhaorangi anō te reo,” Ruakiri says.
A morning coffee could be your first reo opportunity from 7am to 8.30am at Rumaki Café. As part of Kawhe Kōrero, enjoy a $2 coffee, learn everyday reo Māori phrases, play games and immerse yourself in a te reo Māori-speaking environment. Kai will also be available to purchase for those wanting to stay a little longer and continue the kōrero.
Step into the history of Rotorua with Kōrero Hītori, a series of guided sessions throughout the week. Explore Te Koura Māwhitiwhiti on Monday from 10am to 11am, Ōhinemutu on Wednesday, and Te Whakarewarewa on Friday from 9am to 10am. Participants will hear local stories, learn the correct pronunciation of place names, and deepen their understanding of the cultural significance of these iconic locations.
Move your tinana and exercise your reo at Kaupapa Whakapakari, held at the Village Green from 12pm to 1pm on Tuesday and Thursday. This is a combination of fitness ā-tinana (for the body) and ā-reo (for the language), incorporating te reo Māori instructions and vocabulary related to health, exercise and wellbeing.
Whānau and manuhiri of all ages can head to The Arts Village from 10.30am to 11.30am, Tuesday to Friday, where there will be a range of family-friendly activities including tākaro, tītī tōrea, tī rākau and more. Open to everyone, these interactive sessions offer a fun and engaging way to connect with te reo Māori through play and shared learning.
The celebrations continue Thursday evening with Te Pō Mākete in Rotorua’s city centre. From 5pm onwards, local artists and emerging talent will take to the stage to celebrate Māori performing arts, music and language. Enjoy free kai from the Rumaki team while getting amongst the fun.
To find an interactive map, download logos and to get full event details visit www.reomaori.co.nz/rotorua.
Notes
Te Mātāwai leads Māori language revitalisation, empowering iwi Māori to restore te reo as a nurturing first language within homes and communities. You can read more here: Te Mātāwai.
Pānui pāpāho – 9 o Hepetema 2026
E pōwhiri ana a Rotorua ki te hapori whānui me ngā manuhiri kia tukua te reo Māori kia rere mō Te Wiki o te Reo Maori, mai i te 14 ki te 20 o Hepetema 2026, ka mutu mō ngā rā kei tua.
Nā Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (te kōmihana mō te reo Māori) me Te Mātāwai i kōkiri i tēnei kaupapa, a Te Reo Towns i ngā tāone ki te whakatairanga i te reo Māori ki ngā kāinga, ngā wāhi mahi, me ngā tūwahi e huihui ai ngā tāngata i ia rā, i ia rā.
Hei tā te Hoa-Toihau o Te Mātāwai me te Poutaki o Te Pae Motuhake o Te Arawa Waka a Ruakiri Fairhall, e whakahī ana a Rotorua ki tō rātou Tāone Reo Māori, waihoki i whakanuia tō rātau tāone hei tāone reo rua a koia te tuatahi o Aotearoa. I whakaarahia hai tāone reo rua.
“Ka Pūhaorangi te reo Māori ki te kōrerotia te reo ki nga kāinga, ngā wāhi mahi, ngā kura me ngā hapori. E hiahia ana mātau o Te Arawa Wakakia whānui ake te rongo o te reo Māori i ngā taringa me ngā ngākau, kia kitea, engari ko te aupiki nui katoa ko te kōrero tonu me te whakamahi tonu o te reo Māori hei ngā rā kei tua rā o te mutunga o tēnei wiki.
“Mā roto mai i ngā momo tūmahi o ia rā, o ia rā, e tautoko ana mātou ki te waihanga i te anamata, e heke ai he reo ora, he reo taurikura hoki ki ngā tamariki, ki ngā mokopuna, ki te hapori whānui. Kia Pūhaorangi anō te reo,” te kōrero a Ruakiri.
He Kawhe Kōrero ia ata, ia ata, hei tūmahi reo Māori tuatahi mai i te 7 ki te 8:30 i te ata ki Rūmaki Café. Ka $2 te utu ki te hoko kawhe, hei reira ako ai i ngā kīanga reo Māori, ka tākaro kēmū, ā ka rumakina e te taiao kōrero reo Māori. He kai hoki hei hoko mō te hunga e pīrangi ana ki te noho atu me te kōrero tonu.
Hīkoia ngā hītori o Rotorua ki Kōrero Hītori, he terenga kaihautū ka tū i ētahi ata o te wiki nei. Ki Te Koura Māwhitiwhiti hai te Mane mai i te 10 ki te 11, ki Ōhinemutu hai te Wenerei mai i te 9 ki te 10, a ki Te Whakarewarewa hai te Paraire mai i te 9 ki te 10. Ka rongo ngā kaiuru i ngā kōrero o te hāpori, ka ako hoki me pēhea te whakahua tika i ngā ingoa, waihoki te hiranga ahurea o ēnei tūwāhi motuhake.
Korikori tō tinana, ka whakamātau ai i tō reo ki te Kaupapa Whakapakari, ka tū ki Village Green mai i te 12-1 i te ahiahi hai te Tūrei me te Tāite. He hanumitanga tēnei o te kori ā-tinana me te kori ā-reo hoki, mā te ranu i ngā tohutohu korikori i te reo Māori me ngā kupu e hāngai ana ki te hauora, ngā nekehanga me te oranga hoki. Mā Te Papatākaro o Te Arawa ēnei tūmahi whakapakari e whakahaere.
Ka tūhera ki ngā whānau me ngā manuhiri, Shaka te pakeke, ki te haere ki The Arts Village mai i te 10:30 karaka ki te 11:30 karaka i te ata o te Tūrei ki te Paraire, ki reira kite ai i ngā momo tūmahi pai mō te whānau pēnei i te kēmū Tākaro, te tītī tōrea, te tī rākau, aha atu, aha atu. E wātea ana ki te katoa, ko ēnei momo terenga tūmahi he huarahi e rongo ai i te wairua ngahau me te tūhono ki te reo Māori mā roto i te tākaro me te wānanga.
Ka haere tonu ngā kaupapa whakanui hai te ahiahi o te Tāite i Te Pō Mākete ki te pokapū o te tāone o Rotorua. Mai i te 5 karaka i te pō, takatū ai nga kaiwaiata me ngā korokoro tuī o te hapori ki te atamira ki te whakanui i ngā Toi Whakaari Māori, Tāonga Pūoro, me te reo. Piri atu ki te kai (kore utu) nō te tīmā o Rūmaki i a koutou ka toro atu ki ngā mahi ngahau.
Ki te kite i te mapi tūmahi, ki te tikiake i ngā tohu me te pānui i ngā taipitopito katoa mō te kaupapa, tirohia ki www.reomaori.co.nz/rotorua.
He pānui ki te ringa takatā:
E whai ana Te Mātāwai ki te hanga tikanga ka whakaāhei i te whānau, te hapū, te iwi me ngā hapori ki te mahi i tā rātou e whakapono ana me mahi e āta whakahokia ai te reo Māori hei reo ūkaipō mō te kāinga. Pānuitia i konei: Te Mātāwai.