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Te Wiki o te Reo Maori

“Strength for an endangered language comes from its status, people being aware of how to support revitalisation, people acquiring and using it and from the language having the right words and terms to be used well for any purpose."

Nurtured at Home is celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 9-15 Mahuru. The theme this year continues to be 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ following on from the success of the 2017 theme ‘Kia Ora te Reo Māori’.

‘Kia Kaha’ is well known in New Zealand English with its correct Māori meaning of ‘be strong’. We often talk about languages as if they are people – talking about language health, strength and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'.

E tu ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e nga ngaru o te wa – Stand at the stern of the canoe and feel the spray of the future biting at your face.

This whakatauki is aspirational for our young children to reach their full potential as we nurture and support them through their preschool years.

In Māori culture greeting others is very important. It is an opportunity for people to show respect, through the language used and its accompanying actions, and the tone for the interaction is set. Whether the greeting is written or spoken, choosing the appropriate language is important.

Greetings:

Hi / Kia ora

Hello (to one person) /Tēnā koe

Hello (to two people) / Tēnā kōrua

Hello (to three or more people) / Tēnā koutou

Inquiring Question:

Kei te pēhea koe? / How are you?

Responses:

Kei te pai ahau / I’m good

Ka nui te ora / I’m great

Me koe? / And you?

Farewells:

Haere rā / Goodbye (to someone leaving)

E noho rā / Goodbye (to someone staying)

Ka kite anō / See you again