Toitū Te Reo: a powerful celebration of te reo Māori for all

The streets of Hastings CBD became an epicentre for te reo Māori, with 8,000 people from across the motu, Māori and non-Māori, gathering to celebrate the world’s first te reo Māori festival, Toitū Te Reo last month.

At its core, Toitū Te Reo is a festival that champions and promotes te reo Māori, bringing together an array of reo Māori advocates and proponents to share their experiences of reo revitalisation, including Hana O’Regan, Tā Tīmoti Kāretu, Tā Hirini Moko Mead, Tā Pou Temara and Te Ariki Kuini Nga wai hono i te po Pootatau Te Wherowhero VIII.

Hosted by Kauwaka in collaboration with Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated and Hastings District Council, this festival was inspired by the Welsh Eisteddfod Festival, providing an opportunity for both fluent and beginner speakers of the reo to gather with other speakers.

Speaking at the Te Mātāwai hui ā-tau, Komiti Kaha, last week, Kauwaka Director Jeremy Tātere Macleod (pictured left) shared some one of his highlights of Toitū Te Reo, “Ko tētahi hua nui ki a au, ko ngā mea iti noa iho nei te reo, e tino mataku ana ki te kuhu mai i roto i tō tātou ao, kua whai wāhi rātou. He wāhi haumaru.”

“One outcome for me, was in relation to those with little reo, who are often very scared to enter our domain, they have a space now. A safe space.”

Toitū Te Reo was proudly sponsored by Te Mātāwai for the 2024/2025 Investment Round.