Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, or Māori Language Week, is an annual campaign promoting te reo as New Zealand’s language and a language for all New Zealanders.

Every year people from across Aotearoa New Zealand, including organisations, schools, workplaces and homes, are encouraged to give te reo Māori a go. This year's theme is “Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori” (Making the Language Stronger).

A good whakataukī (Māori proverb) for learning te reo Māori is “Poipoia te kakano kia puawai” (Nurture the seed and it will blossom).

At Windsor Park we’re on a journey to learn te reo Māori as part of acknowledging it as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand since 1987, embracing our culture and history. Did you know that the first sermon preached in Aotearoa New Zealand by Rev Samuel Marsden at Hohi (Oihi) Beach in the Bay of Islands on Christmas Day 1814 was simultaneously translated into te reo Māori by the Ngāpuhi leader, Ruatara, as few people could understand English. How amazing is that!

We're encouraging our Windsor Park community to embrace Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) by trying to use or learn some te reo this week. We're helping you out by providing five daily tasks to do or learn, from karakias (prayers) to our pepeha (greeting) and to understand some basic language. Check out the digital booklet below: