Kia ora te reo Māori is the theme for Maori Language Week this year - a celebration of New Zealand's indigenous greeting "Kia ora."
The words are also a celebration of the new commitment to te reo revitalisation introduced by Te Pire mō Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Act 2016 passed in parliament last April.
Throughout the week, there will be parades, broadcasts, film screenings and New Zealand Post has launched a new stamp issue and adopted a te reo Māori name, Tukurau Aotearoa, to mark Māori Language Week.
Whanganui people who wish to celebrate the week and learn or share some reo can attend Waiata, Korero and Karakia with Kura and Kahu Simon on Wednesday from 10am to 12pm.
Registration is essential for the workshop at the Josephite Retreat Centre, 14 Hillside Tce. To register call Pam on 345 5047 extension 3 or email pam.hopper@sosj.org.au
At the end of the week, two Whanganui bands - NLC and Auaha will head to Hastings as finalists in the 10th Annual Waiata Maori Music Awards.
NLC (No Limits Crew) are in the running to collect the award for Best Maori Urban Roots/Reggae Album with Love not War and Auaha have made the finals in the Best Maori Traditional Album category for E Pari o Auahatanga, The Flood of Inspiration, inspired by the 2015 Whanganui floods
Maori Language week started 42 years ago in 1975 after a group named Nga Tamatoa (The Young Warriors) petitioned parliament to promote the language.
Concerned about the decline in Maori language usage since World War II, the group represented a growing number of New Zealanders wishing to promote te reo.