It’s Māori language week – and it’s Mahuru Māori – Māori language month – already!
This year the theme for Māori language week is ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ – ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong’.
Do you know the Māori word for ‘screenshot’? How about, ‘selfie’ or ‘profile picture’?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these you may want to get your hands on a new te reo Māori resource featuring technology terms produced by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
There are 30 techie words and associated phrases for each day of the month in September. Te Taura Whiri now holds Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in September to coincide with Mahuru Māori, a Te Wānanga o Aotearoa initiative that started at in 2014. Mahuru Māori is an opportunity for people to commit to speaking Māori for all (or part) of September. Last year a record 600 people registered for Mahuru Māori – where people choose to speak te reo Māori for a day, week or month during September, the English word for Mahuru. This year more than 1700 people have registered on the mahurumaori.com website with about 800 challenging themselves to speak only te reo Māori for the entire month.
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa chief executive Te Ururoa Flavell says Mahuru Māori has come of age and having the support of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori will provide a further boost to efforts to see more te reo Māori being used in daily life. “I’m excited to hear more te reo Māori being spoken both at work and in the community during the next month and beyond. I have always been a strong advocate of te reo Māori and I’ll be supporting everyone who takes up the challange.”
Te Taura Whiri Chief Executive Ngahiwi Apanui says Māori Language Week appeals to all Aotearoa while Mahuru Māori focuses on those already well along their Māori language journey. “Te reo Māori will flourish with everyone’s support: from those whose contribution is to encourage young people to those who contribute by talking the talk day in and day out”.
Watch Ngahiwi Apanui of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori and Te Ururoa Flavell of Te Wananga o Aotearoa talk about this in te reo Māori.