Te Reo Māori revitalisation generates a week of discussion as part of UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages
Media release
In celebration of 2019 UNESCO Year of Indigenous Languages, this week sees the coming together of Aotearoa’s te reo Māori champions alongside hundreds of rangatahi to strategise the revitalisation of te reo Māori.
The event, which is brought together under the auspices of Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora - the partnership between whānau, iwi and Māori communities, represented by Te Mātāwai and the Crown respectively, heralds a new way of working together to support the revitalisation of the language throughout Aotearoa.
From Wednesday to Thursday Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori, will bring rangatahi from across the motu to Auckland for two days of masterclasses, workshops, presentations and panel discussions.
From Thursday to Friday, Te Mātāwai, will hold the national gathering of its Pae Motuhake, bringing together its te reo Māori champions from whānau, hapū, iwi and communities, under one roof for the first time.
Te Mātāwai Co-Chair Waihoroi Shortland says, “This is an opportunity for us to come together and hear some of our success stories, to see the fruits of our investment, and learn how we might be able to replicate that success throughout the country”.
Rangatahi will join these te reo Māori champions during the Thursday hui – where the learnings shared are expected to benefit the goals of all sides of this whare partnership.
Te Mātāwai Co-Chair Mereana Selby says, “Our rangatahi today are our leaders for tomorrow, so we need to work alongside them to ensure that our reo doesn’t become redundant. We need to understand how they use and interact with te reo Māori so that our revitalisation strategies are relevant”.
Vaka Leo, the Polynesian Languages Forum, will also join both hui to learn and share their own language revitalisation strategies from around the Pacific.
The wiki concludes with the annual Ngā Tohu Reo Māori Awards which brings together Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora and celebrates te reo Māori champions across the country.
ENDS