Ngā Tohu Reo Māori returns
18 October 2023 UPDATE: The deadline for Ngā Tohu Reo Māori entries and nominations has been extended from the 23rd October to the 10th December 2023 with an awards dinner now taking place in Wellington at Tākina. This extends the entry period from 2.5 weeks to 9 weeks in response to community requests.
Ngā Tohu Reo Māori awards dinner will now be held 26 April 2024.
Ngā Tohu Reo Māori | The Māori Language Awards is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of individuals and organisations that have made a notable contribution to the revitalisation and normalisation of te reo Māori.
Ngā Tohu Reo Māori has not been held since 2019 due to Covid-19 interruptions. In 2022 we held a one-off special event, Ngā Kākā Kura o te Reo, to acknowledge outstanding contributions to language revitalisation over the last 50 years in honour of the 50th anniversary of Te Petihana Reo Māori | The Māori Language Petition.
This will be the 17th time Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori has hosted the event since the inaugural event in 2004.
We are seeking nominations for nine categories which will be awarded at Ngā Tohu Reo Māori 2023:
Te Ao Matihiko – Digital Award
Celebrating digital innovation for te reo Māori
Ngā Toi – Arts Award
Promoting te reo Māori through creative expression
Hapori – Community Award
Strengthening te reo Māori at a grassroots level
Pakihi – Business Award
Business excellence in promoting te reo Māori
Mātauranga – Education Award
Impactful teaching and learning of te reo Māori
Te Ao Pāpāho – Media Award
Outstanding contribution to te reo Māori in media
Te Rāngai Tūmatanui – Public Service Award
Government initiatives for te reo Māori
Rangatahi – Youth Award
Outstanding advocacy for te reo Māori by a rangatahi
Tū Rangatira Supreme Award
Taking a stand - Exemplifying leadership and outstanding advocacy for te reo Māori
The tenth award will be Te Tohu Oranga Angitu – Lifetime Achievement Award, with the recipient to be announced on the night.
For full descriptions of each award category, click here.
We encourage everyone in Aotearoa to nominate the people and projects you believe have had a positive impact on te reo Māori.
How to nominate
If you know of a person or organisation that should be acknowledged for one of these awards, submit your online nomination here.
It’s easy to use – just select the category you want to make a nomination for, and you will be prompted to answer a list of pātai. You can nominate yourself or others.
At the end of the form, there is an option for you to add any additional info or supporting evidence not covered in our pātai. You might want to upload any relevant files, videos or links. Our judges will be looking for submissions that clearly articulate the positive mahi done by the nominee, and how their mahi supports the revitalisation and normalisation of te reo Māori.
Applications must be submitted through the form to be considered for the awards.
Karawhiua e hoa mā! Let’s celebrate our champions of te reo Māori.
Any pātai, please email [email protected]