The sound of waiata and te reo Māori filled the grounds of Parliament as hundreds gathered to mark the start of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
The parade and gathering celebrate the ongoing revitalisation of te reo Māori, with this year’s kaupapa focused on bringing the language into communities and everyday life.
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori chief executive Ngāhiwi Apanui acknowledged the communities that have driven the revitalisation movement, saying the fight for the language began with people on the ground.
“Ko tā mātou mihi nui ki te hapori, nā te mea i timata mai te aroha, te whawhai mō te reo i roto i te hapori, kāre i timata mai i konei.”
Te Reo Towns
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2026, themed “Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language,” focuses on Te Reo Towns. It celebrates communities keeping te reo Māori alive and encourages its everyday use in homes, workplaces, streets and public spaces across Aotearoa.
Ngāhiwi said the focus in recent years had increasingly turned towards communities.
“Nā reira i ngā toru tau kua taha ake nei, i hāngai te titiro ki te hapori.”
But he says a shortage of teachers remains one of the biggest barriers to growing the number of people able to speak te reo Māori.
Asked what he hoped to see for the future, he called for more funding to train and support kaiako. Key for their goal of 1 million speakers to be achieved.
“Te mea tuatahi, kia tohaina he moni anō kia nui ake ngā kaiako. Koirā hoki te mate, kaore he Kaiako hei whakahaere i ngā karāhe.”
With this year being an election year, he shared his wero to those who may form a government after the elections in November.
“Ki te kāwanatanga hou, e hika mā!, whakaaetia mai he moni anō, kia whakangūngūa he kaiako i roto i te reo Māori.”
Wairua Pai
Māori Development Minister Tama Pōtaka said the celebrations at Parliament was one of positivity and support for the language.
“He wairua pai, he wairua tautoko, e whakapau kaha nei i tō tātou reo māhorahora nei, ūkaipo nei, māhorahora nei.”
Asked whether he believed the Government had done enough to support te reo Māori over the past three years, Pōtaka acknowledged that progress can fluctuate.
“He wā ka piki, he wā ka heke engari ka piki anō pērā i te tētēkura, he wā ka mate, he wā ka ora.”
Pōtaka pointed to Government investment in Māori broadcasting and language initiatives, including funding announced in this year’s Budget.
“Kua kite hoki i te whakapau kaha i te tahua nui o te tau nei. Tata ki te 50 miriona tāra kua tukuna atu ki a Whakaata [Māori] ki a Te Māngai Pāhō, tae atu ki ngā mahi tautoko i te matatini.”
He said the total investment was approaching $50 million.
