Te reo to cheer you on: language week

Maori Language Week will run from July 4 to 10.

Maori Language Week 2016 is going to be positive, relevant, energetic, fun and exciting.

It will show New Zealand there is a place for the Maori language in our stadiums, on our sports fields, in the news and in social media. It will also show the country that te reo Maori is a language for all New Zealanders.

The campaign will run from July 4 to 10.

The theme for this year is "te reo tautoko - behind you all the way" which is about using te reo Maori to support people, to inspire and to cheer on.

Continuing with last year's approach, the Maori Language Commission will develop 50 phrases in te reo Maori that are simple to use, even for those with little or no grasp of the language. To ensure the phrases carry momentum, over and beyond the campaign week, the commission will hang them off sports events, starting with the Olympics and other popular sports codes and events that occur throughout the year.

Maori Language Week is an annual campaign, led by the commission, to promote the language to New Zealand. The campaign is about raising awareness that New Zealand has its very own language and encouraging the use of it, with simple phrases every day, week and month of the year.

- Do you have a great story involving Maori language or learning the language you want to tell us at the Rotorua Daily Post as part of Maori Language Week? Contact head of news Kelly Makiha, kelly.makiha@dailypost.co.nz or phone (07) 349 7474.