Maori Language Week begins on Monday and this year's theme Te Kupu o te Wiki (The Word of the Week) aims to encourage the growth of te reo Maori in its homeland.
The Maori Language Commission's goal is that "four million New Zealanders will learn one word a week for 50 weeks".
Gareth Seymour, senior communications adviser with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori (Maori Language Commission) says it is time to have a theme that lasts beyond the one week per year.
"It has been on the New Zealand calendar since 1975 and although the usage has increased, it is not where we would like it to be. We have included a lot of common words that people can use in everyday activities like shopping, cooking and in their work lives."
The commission will work with a wide range of iwi, community, whanau, government, education, business and other organisations to discuss how to build and enhance te reo in those sectors.
"It would be good to see it used at government level with central and local body politicians leading the way," Mr Hughes said.
Each week from Monday, a new word will be introduced along with its translation and usage. The words include ones that relate to anniversaries and events such as niho (tooth) to be learned on World Oral Health Day in September.
There will be a whakata (rest) over the holiday break from December 29 until January 5, 2015.
The commission promotes the added value of learning a new language in terms of improving brain function and guarding against conditions like dementia.
The Government released a revised Maori language strategy in 2003 with a list of goals to be achieved by 2028.
Apart from the objectives that te reo should be learned by Maori, the final aim is that "the Maori language will be valued by all New Zealanders and there will be a common awareness of the need to protect the language".
Commission chief executive Pita Paraone says it is difficult to tell how much progress has been made.
"If we use the last Census figures as a measure, it doesn't augur well. However, if we think about the way the questions in the Census were answered we don't necessarily get a true picture.
"When I am asked if I am a fluent speaker, I'm likely to say no, although I can conduct everyday conversations and speak on marae without difficulty.
"I am not fluent in classical Maori language like my forebears were and if I'm using that measure - it gives a false comparison."
It would be comparable to a native English speaker saying he or she was not fluent because he or she could not speak Shakespearean English.
"What I see in my work are many Maori and non-Maori people speaking te reo with increasing fluency and I believe it is tracking upward. I recently attended the Iwi Radio Awards and 90 per cent of the speech was in Maori, including all the young people who received awards."
The Maori Language Act, passed in 1987, led to the establishment of the commission and the recognition of Maori as an official language.