5 ways to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) in your business

Kia ora! From 11 to 17 September 2023, Aotearoa New Zealand will be celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Māori culture and recognise one of the official languages of our country. Read on to find out more and get inspired to mark the occasion in your workplace.

What is Māori language week (Te Wiki o te Reo Māori)?

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (known as Māori language week in English) is a week-long celebration of te reo Māori, encouraging the use of the Māori language across Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s led by Te Taura Whiri (the Māori Language Commission) with the ultimate goal of 1 million speakers of te reo Māori by 2040.

What is the history of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori?

The history of the Māori language for the last two centuries has been complicated. While it was the predominant language of Aotearoa New Zealand in the early 19th century, its usage was affected as more English speakers arrived in the country. By the 20th century, use of the language by Māori was actively suppressed and many older Māori still have memories of being punished for speaking their native language at school.

By the 1970s, a cultural movement grew to save the language before it was completely lost. Among the many initiatives was Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, which was first started in 1975, along with language recovery programmes and bilingual schools. It became a key movement in ensuring the Māori culture and language could be preserved and celebrated.

Now, proficiency in te reo Māori is improving across the country. It’s estimated that around 125,000 people of Māori ethnicity can speak and understand the language well, while around 30% of New Zealanders of all ethnicities report being able to speak more than a few words or phrases. 84% of New Zealanders also see te reo Māori as part of our national identity.

Why should businesses celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori?

Celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a great opportunity for SMEs to recognise the increasingly stronger calls for businesses to show greater awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This is particularly prevalent amongst young generations – according to a Glassdoor survey, 72% of workers aged 18-34 said that they would consider turning down a job offer or leaving a company if they didn’t think their employer supported DEI.

Demonstrating a commitment to inclusion is not only good for keeping and attracting talent, but can be important for team engagement and productivity too. Research has shown inclusive workplaces are 1.7 times more innovative when compared to those with fewer D&I initiatives. This is because diverse teams are better attuned to the values and needs of a broader range of customers.

Marking Māori language week and celebrating Aotearoa’s diverse cultural landscape is just one of many steps you can make towards improving inclusion in your business.

What is the theme of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori for 2023?

Every year, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebrates a theme. For the last few years, the theme has remained “Kia Kaha te Reo Māori” – make the Māori language strong.

It’s an important reminder that the language needs to be used and reinforced in order to thrive.

How to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori at work

We’ve collected a few ideas for how you can mark te reo Māori in your mahi this week – and all year round too.

1. Facilitate te reo Māori learning sessions with a professional

The best insights come from the experts. Give your employees the opportunity to learn te reo Māori with an educational course led by a fluent Māori speaker. There are lots of options available, designed specifically for businesses.

You could also promote courses available outside of work, such as these ones offered online for free by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

2. Add te reo Māori in signage and schedules

Studies have shown that incidental exposure to te reo Māori makes a significant difference to language proficiency, whether that’s children learning Māori songs at school or radio broadcasters greeting listeners in te reo.

Consider how you can incorporate that in your workplace by adding Māori phrases alongside their English counterparts – for example, schedule a hui (meeting) or signpost areas in an office with their te reo Māori name. The official Reo Māori website has a great set of resources to get you started with signage.

3. Encourage the use of phrases in internal communications

How do your team start their emails? For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, you might want to encourage them to swap out their usual phrases for something in te reo Māori. For example, they could swap ‘Hello’ for ‘Tēnā koe’ or ‘Kind regards’ for ‘Ngā mihi’.

We’ve collected a few phrases in the section below to give you something to share around the team.

4. Try a te reo Māori quiz or game

Get everyone together for some team building in person or over Zoom and give a te reo quiz a go. It’s a great way to have fun together and learn at the same time.

Check out Kahoot for some pre-made Maori language quizzes or try Wharewhare Reo Māori – otherwise known as Bingo – for some fast-paced fun.

5. Mix up the office soundtrack

Everyone has a preferred office playlist to keep them motivated throughout the day. One really easy way to absorb te reo is to listen to it through music, so why not share around a few playlists in the language?

Waiata Anthems is perfect for this – it’s a movement that has brought together musicians and artists who perform their work in te reo Māori. They have complete playlists available on their website, with a selection of both brand new music and te reo versions of Kiwi classics.

Some popular te reo Māori words and phrases to use at work

Tēnā koe – Hello (formal, one person)

Tēnā kōrua – Hello (formal, two people)

Tēnā koutou – Hello (three or more people)

Kia ora – Hello / good morning / good afternoon / thank you (informal)

Mōrena – Good morning

Ko [NAME] tōku ingoa – My name is [NAME]

Kei te pēhea koe? – How are you?

Kei te pai – I’m well

Ngā mihi – Thank you / kind regards

Aroha mai – Sorry / excuse me

Kia manahau! – Enjoy!

Ka mau te wehi! – Awesome! Fantastic!

Mā te wā – Bye for now / see you later

Kia pai tō rā whakatā – Have a great weekend!

Source: Reo Māori website

Recognising Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an important way to celebrate the culture of Aotearoa, and to build an inclusive and supportive workplace. We hope you enjoy celebrating and learning – Kia Kaha te Reo Māori!

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