Celebrating and promoting te reo Māori

We are focused upon promoting te reo as a living language and an ordinary means of communication. This includes leading the government’s Māori language strategy and creating conditions for te reo to thrive. We recognise excellence in te reo by certifying licenses for expert translators and interpreters.

Our protest marches have turned into language parades: by 2019 more than 30,000 people marched with us in seven parades held across Aotearoa. After COVID-19 reached our shores we created a new way for New Zealanders to come together.

On Monday 14 September 2020 at 12pm, the same date and time the Māori Language Petition was delivered to parliament in 1972, we asked one million people to celebrate te reo Māori in their own way, wherever they were.  More than 1 million people took part  and this helped set us on our journey towards our nationwide goal of 1 million speakers by 2040. Our language experts tell us this is what we need to safeguard our language for future generations.

Whether gathering in person or gathering online, our work is about uniting people from all walks of life: te reo Māori is the thread that weaves us together.

Learn more about Māori Language Week