What Te Wiki o te Reo Māori means to me

What does Te Wiki o te Māori mean to you?

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

I tēnei wiki, e whakanuia ana e tātou ko Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, he taonga tuku iho, he pou herenga mō tātou katoa. Hei wāhanga o tēnei kaupapa, kua uiuitia e mātou ētahi o ā tātou tauira, ahakoa he tangata whenua, he tangata tiriti hoki, kia whakapuaki mai rātou i ō rātou whakaaro mō te hiranga o tēnei wiki ki a rātou.

Kei raro iho nei ngā kōrero a ā tātou tauira, hei whakaohooho, hei whakakaha, hei whakamahara hoki i a tātou katoa ki te mana me te mauri o te reo Māori.

"Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori, te kākahu o te whakaaro, te huarahi i te ao tūroa."

Greetings whānau,

This week we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, a treasured inheritance and a guiding foundation for us all. As part of this kaupapa, we have interviewed some of our students, both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti to share their thoughts on what this week means to them.

Below are the reflections of our students, intended to inspire, uplift, and remind us all of the significance and life force of the Māori language.

"Language is the life force of Māori identity – it is the garment of our thoughts, the pathway to our world."

William Ogle-Parsons (Year 12)

"I think that this week could be celebrated more outside of school, there is not enough exposure about all the things we can do, I think that it should be more central in media and at this point it should be public knowledge that there is a significant week coming up to celebrate Te Reo Māori."

Sienna Walker (Year 12)

"Te wiki o te reo Māori is really significant to our culture and preserving the language, it is about promoting our culture to other people in Aotearoa, this is a way to show that Te Ao Māori is the main culture in Aotearoa and it needs to be made known."

Poppy Homan (Year 12) - pictured above

"Te wiki o te reo Māori is about celebrating and revitalising our language, Te reo Māori was discouraged for so long that we lost the language in a whole generation, now we need exposure to encourage other to use and learn te reo to bring back the language to a point where it thrives. I usually celebrate by participating in the activities at kura."

Harper Spurway (Year 9) - pictured above

"Everything about te reo Māori is ātaahua (beautiful) and what’s most important is that it belongs to the land and the people. Te reo Māori carries the past and future and is a language that can unite Aotearoa. Reo is harmonious, expressive, passionate, and ever evolving."

Maddy Fulop (Year 13) - pictured above

"I think it is an opportunity to recognise the language and bring it into the spotlight, due to the past oppression it has faced, bringing it forward as a central topic gives it a chance at revitalisation and helps educate the next generation and get them involved in activities that encourage the use of te reo Māori."

Matthew Cheng (Year 11) - pictured above

"It's about connecting everyone, no matter where you're from, to the local culture and traditions. I was at another school overseas until a year and a half ago, so I haven't had much interaction with Māori culture. It's great that we learnt the haka in assembly this week."

Zane Wilson (Year 11) - pictured above

"Tēnā koutou e te whānau o Avondale College! I think this week is a chance to embrace the unique language of Aotearoa New Zealand. As a Pākehā, it feels amazing to learn more about the ways of the original people of the land. I encourage everyone to get involved."