All five Hawke's Bay councils are set to fly bilingual flags in celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 'Māori Language Week'. Photo / Supplied
All five Hawke's Bay councils are set to fly bilingual flags in celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 'Māori Language Week'. Photo / Supplied
The five Hawke's Bay councils are set to fly bilingual flags in celebration of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week.
The bilingual flags, ngā haki reorua, will be seen flying across Napier, Hastings, Wairoa and Central Hawke's Bay, featuring 10 different common, easy-to-use phrases.
The regional collaborationwas proposed by Wairoa District Council (WDC) Pouahurea Māori Duane Culshaw.
Culshaw said the tradition stems back to 2013, when WDC first flew the flags.
Culshaw said some people are scared they might offend Māori by mispronouncing the language, but encouraged everyone to give it a go.
"The kīwaha are for all people to use every day, not just Māori. For example try saying tau kē, instead of well done, to your workmates, family and friends," he said.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little said he was proud the district served as inspiration for the rest of the region.
Napier will fly its flags along Marine Pde and around the Ahuriri estuary.
The district's mayor Kirsten Wise said the flags are a "simple yet powerful" message.
The flags will also be on show on Ruataniwha St, Waipukurau, High St, Waipawa, and a number of areas across Hastings.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham said he hopes the initiative would encourage the region to try speaking te reo not only during Māori Language Week, but throughout the rest of the year too.
Culshaw said it gives him a sense of pride to see other councils following in Wairoa's footsteps.
"We have a great appreciation of people who try to speak te reo Māori. It's okay to be shy and make mistakes. All I can say is give it a go," he said.
Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker said: "I love sharing te reo Maori in our communities and would like to hear more people giving it a go. The flags will be a cool way for people to learn a new kiwaha – kai pai to mahi."
