A new cafe has opened in the heart of Rotorua today, creating a space where customers can enjoy their coffee while being fully immersed in te reo Māori, with the kaupapa centred around making te reo Māori part of everyday life.
The cafe was created by Miraka Davies, who developed the idea while studying at university. Davies wanted to create a space where people could use and hear te reo Māori beyond traditional learning environments such as kōhanga reo and the classroom.
For Davies, using the language every day is an important part of keeping it alive.
“Mataku au kia ngaro taku reo, ko tērā taku amuamu i roto i ahau, mehemea kāore au e kōrero i a rā, ka ngaro anō,“ says Davies.
A community for all learners of te reo Māori
Rumaki Cafe is designed for people at different stages of their reo journey, whether they are confident speakers or just starting. When customers walk through the doors, they can identify their level of te reo Māori. This gives staff an idea of how best to communicate with them and helps create an environment where people can feel comfortable using the language.
“Atu i te Kōhanga, atu i te mahi kaiako reo Māori, kia pēhea atu te kōrero i a rā mehemea tē taea ki te kāinga,” says Davies.
For those who are still learning, the cafe will have visual cues, hand actions and QR codes to help customers order—showing them how to order items such as a flat white in te reo Māori.
Helping make te reo Māori the norm
The idea is to make using te reo Māori feel achievable, even for people who are still building their confidence.
The cafe is also about creating more opportunities for te reo Māori speakers to practise their reo in everyday situations. Staff have been hired not only to make coffee and prepare food, but also to kōrero with customers and support their language journey.
For Davies, the vision goes beyond the café itself. She hopes Rumaki Cafe can help inspire more spaces across Aotearoa to embrace te reo Māori and create opportunities for the language to flow in everyday settings.
“Kia rere te reo i ngā wāhi katoa o i a rā. Me pai te kai, me pai te inu, heoi, ko te rere o te reo te whāinga matua,” says Davies.
The opening marks the beginning of that vision in Rotorua, with the cafe now giving locals and visitors a new place to connect, kōrero and enjoy a kawhe all in te reo Māori.
