Māori language alive in MTG’s galleries: Te Hira Henderson

Paraire Whaanga video in Kuru Taonga: Voices of Kahungunu

Te Hira Henderson is curator Taonga Māori, MTG

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/Māori Language Week is here again, celebrated from September 14 to 20 2025.

Here in the museum, Māori Language Week is an all-round year thing.

It is celebrated, it is utilised, it is part of all museum exhibitions. It is spoken by kaumātua in their recorded video interviews played inside the galleries, about Te Matau-a-Māui/Hawke’s Bay region’s people, places and taonga.

In our museum galleries the Māori language is alive - every day of every week.

This year we have reached a milestone, with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori now in its 50th year. From a place where Māori were punished for speaking in their native tongue to a place where te reo Māori is celebrated, promoted, taught and used, is no small thing.

The 1847 Education Ordinance Act and the 1867 Native Schools Act prioritised English language and dismantled te reo Māori.

A systemic form of racism, this saw punishment meted out to Māori children as a way to facilitate these acts of parliament. Māori tamariki were forced to attend schools specifically built for natives only, purposed to have their Māori language and way of life beaten out of them.

My mother, who passed away recently in her mid-90s, still bore the physical scars embedded in her skin from belt buckles used upon her as a young child when she spoke in her native tongue.

The scars of this violent abuse remained deep marked in her aged skin, an ever-present reminder of the past.

Recently there have been moves to diminish te reo Māori in the names of government ministries, on our New Zealand passports and even in early childhood books. However, today’s generation of Kiwis is very different.

I know non-Māori New Zealanders who are more immersed in the Māori language than some Māori I know.

I have conversed with them in te reo Māori as true bi-cultural citizens of our country. Some of them are active on our marae, proficient in facilitating kawa and tikanga for the benefit of all.

So here we are today, with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori a regular feature in our calendars.

It is celebrated on September 14 to coincide with the 1972 petition presented on the steps of Parliament to have te reo Māori recognised and legitimised as an official language here in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

In 1975 Māori, as a form of activism, started celebrating and promoting Māori language, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, in protest against policies and legislation to have it extinguished.

It took until 1987 to have te reo Māori finally recognised as an official language in Aotearoa. This recognition opened doors to revitalisation, including through government-sponsored initiatives.

It has permeated throughout our society, in some places extending itself for a full 52 weeks of Māori language including in cafés, shops, and many museums around the country.

Tēna rā koutou, tēna rā koutou, tēna rā tātau katoa.