The significance of Te Reo Māori in New Zealand is recognised by the New Zealand Chinese Language Week Trust, which provides its resources in three languages – Te Reo, Chinese, and English.
Language gives an insight into the culture and builds community, NZCLW Trust chair Jo Coughlan says.
“The Trust encourages New Zealanders to give Chinese a go, because it benefits New Zealanders and our country to be able to communicate with others, but we also use Te Reo in our resources because it is one of the official languages of our country and it is important to recognise that.”
The NZCLW Trust distributes a tri-lingual children’s book free of charge to all schools and district libraries throughout New Zealand, with more than 3500 being sent out this year.
“The feedback we get on this is great,” Jo says.
“Librarians tell us that the book is hugely popular. Readers recognise themselves in the stories, and the three different languages mean the book is really useful for many different audiences.”
The book is also available in audio form online in the three languages.
This year’s book, Weka’s Waiata, tells the story of four little chicks preparing a song for their grandparents’ visit. It is the sixth year a tri-lingual picture book has been published. Details on how to buy a copy of the book can be found on www.nzclw.com
