NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Kahu

Karley Hemopo asks if Māori Language Week reached its use-by-date

By Karley Hemopo
NZ Herald·
18 Sep, 2020 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Karley Hemopo: Mahuru Māori challenges people to speak, write, and sing in te reo Māori every day of the month of September.

Karley Hemopo: Mahuru Māori challenges people to speak, write, and sing in te reo Māori every day of the month of September.

Opinion

More than 160 languages are spoken in New Zealand. Most are observed annually during International Languages Week.

Across the nation's collective calendar, another nine weeks are reserved, respectively, for the regional languages of our Pacific Islands brethren. And then, among the festivities of cultural diversity, is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week. This year marks 45 years since its inception. But has it reached its use-by date?

Enter, stage left, Mahuru Māori. Now in its seventh year, the movement, which is not independent of any other reo movement, continues to challenge people to speak, write, and sing in te reo Māori every day of the month of September.

The initiative began as a personal social experiment for Paraone Gloyne, creator and Poutiaki at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. When we spoke on the phone I reluctantly asked if he would mind switching to English so that I could capture some quotes to publish alongside this opinion piece.

He bluntly denied my request. I was far from offended. I was impressed at his tenacity. We continued to converse and interview in te reo Māori. He then suggested if I wanted English responses, I could email him my questions and he would respond accordingly. I appreciated and respected him for his stance. It is this kind of strength, persistence and integrity that has seen the movement's popularity grow, indicative of a community ready for more.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The time has come for us to build on Te Wiki o te Reo, and to extend out to a month. Mahuru Māori is about empowering ourselves to speak our language unapologetically. People reference the ZePA model, which talks about 'right-shifting' the critical mass; from zero, to passive, to active. Shifting is great, but we need to be more proactive."

Enter, stage right, Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission. The tread lightly approach of the commission seems to have paid off with its "Māori Language Moments" campaign currently tracking above average.

By midday, Day 1 of their busiest week of the year, online activity at www.reomaori.co.nz shattered the digital ceiling, earning more than 1 million registrations, with 200,000 of those registering by morning tea. Professor Rawinia Higgins, chairwoman and language revitalisation expert, was amazed at how taking "a moment" has resonated with the masses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The government's goal is to have 1 million speakers by 2040. This is a pulse test to see where we are at, where are people's attitudes and support for te reo. I am overwhelmed by the country's response."

Covid-19 forced the commission to think differently about the way it engaged with different communities. Where previous campaigns usually pulled crowds of 20,000-25,000 people to live events, the online platform not only surpassed expectations, it underscored their trajectory to normalising the language.

"Language revitalisation takes three generations. It is a long journey. We are also trying to support changing some of the systemic elements and making sure that policy thinks about te reo more broadly with our government agencies," says Higgins.

So, has Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori reached its use-by date? No. It is necessary. While the commission wholeheartedly supports Mahuru Māori, the idea of formalising a Māori Language Month in place of a week is not part of their immediate plan. They acknowledge, however, their common end game.

Discover more

Kahu

Aroha, anger, pain and frustration: Racism row heats up as iwi descend on Waikato Uni

18 Sep 04:30 AM

If people are able to see themselves using te reo Māori in their everyday lives, and can continue to do so without relying on the prompts of a Māori Language Week, Month or Year, then every language strategy ever devised will have collectively achieved the ultimate aspiration where every day is a Māori language day.

Karley Hemopo is a bilingual freelance journalist with 20 years of media and communications experience. Her whakapapa (genealogy) links her to Tainui, Aotea, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Hine.

Colour me in

Parewai Pahewa Johnson, a pupil at Te Kura Kaupapa ō Te Kōtuku, has drawn this illustration depicting te reo Māori at the heart of everything. Click here to open a larger format that can be downloaded.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

01 Jul 07:43 AM
New Zealand

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

01 Jul 07:00 AM
New Zealand

MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

01 Jul 06:21 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

01 Jul 07:43 AM

Soldiers and Fire and Emergency rapid response teams are being sent to Tasman to help.

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

01 Jul 07:00 AM
MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

01 Jul 06:21 AM
'Quite a mess': Man who rammed cop car in stolen vehicle given jail and a $10k bill

'Quite a mess': Man who rammed cop car in stolen vehicle given jail and a $10k bill

01 Jul 06:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP