Kia Kaha te reo Māori

Kia Kaha te reo Māori - Let’s make the Māori language strong, is the motto for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – a celebration of the indigenous language of Aotearoa.

2022 marks a significant milestone for te reo Māori revitalisation, as it commemorates the 50th anniversary of te Petihana Reo Māori (Māori Language Petition) – an event that led to the creation of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

New Zealand Tertiary College is proud to be part of this kaupapa by celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with staff, students and the communities we serve through the sharing of educational resources and fun activities to support confidence and knowledge of te reo Māori and te ao Māori.

The college’s popular te reo Māori teaching and learning resource, Te Reo Māori: He taonga mō ā tātou mokopuna (He Taonga), continues to support early childhood kaiako as they weave te reo Māori through their teaching, reflecting the aim of Te Whāriki to enhance the sense of identity and belonging of all mokopuna.

This month, Associate Teachers will have the opportunity to attend a professional development workshop hosted by NZTC Kaiārahi, titled ‘Tō huarahi ki te reo Māori - Your pathway to the Māori language’. The kōrero will draw links to He Taonga with a focus on Te Pū Taka Māori and Māori place names.

NZTC’s dedicated Kaiārahi - Teaching and Learning Support, help guide our students, sectors and staff on their te reo Māori learning journey. NZTC Kaiārahi, Krystal Taiapa, shares with us how she is helping our reo kāmehameha (precious language) thrive.

“Our te reo Māori competency assessments with our students are a great way to engage kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) via Zoom, giving them a positive and comfortable experience with te reo Māori. These assessments tell us the areas in which we can offer effective and meaningful te reo Māori support for our students as they move into their ECE careers. We also support te reo Māori development of staff and Associate Teachers, and help integrate kaupapa Māori and te reo Māori throughout the curriculum.”

Taiapa encourages everyone to be part of the kaupapa and get on the “reo Māori waka” this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

“Remember it is normal to make mistakes, it’s all part of the journey and you are not alone. Te reo Māori wants to be spoken, so let’s speak it. Tūwhitia te hopo – Feel the fear, but do it anyway.”

To support our Early Childhood and Health and Wellbeing communities, we have created a downloadable educational resource focused on Te Ara Pū Māori (The Māori alphabet), specially designed for each sector.