Kia ora greets users at whare pukapuka this week

Tauranga City Library Maori services librarian Bernie Johnson urges everyone to give te reo Maori a go during Maori Language Week celebrations. Photo / John Borren

Public libraries (whare pukapuka) across the city are encouraging visitors to hone their te reo Maori skills during the 40th anniversary of Maori Language Week by "giving it a go".

Bernie Johnson, Tauranga Library Maori services librarian, said the city's libraries Maori Language Week celebrations, included a display of books and other materials from their language collections.

A programme of various clips about the correct pronunciation and various myths and legends were being run on TVs set up around the library, she said.

Ms Johnson said tomorrow at Baycourt about 300 youngsters aged three to eight from local schools, playgroups, playcentres and kohanga reo would attend one of the two sessions of a bi-lingual puppetry show performed by Toro Pikopiko Puppet Theatre.

The Taupo-based puppeteers are Jeffrey Addison - the son of the late former Tauranga City councillor Bob Addison - and his partner Whaitaima Te Whare, who take their bilingual puppetry show around the country.

The puppet show is funded by Tauranga City Libraries.

Ms Johnson urged everyone to make the most of Maori Language Week and help to nurture the growth of te reo Maori . "It's really important that we all do so we keep the language alive. We know there is only a small percentage of Maori who can speak te reo, and it is an official language of Aotearoa," she said.

Ms Johnson said speaking te reo when it came to common place names and every day salutations such as "kia ora", would help to keep the language alive.

"I urge people to give it a go. The more people practice the better they will become," she said.