From parades to an online gathering

Te Wiki has become a fixture on our national calendar — a celebration for all New Zealanders. It has gone from a mainly Māori audience and radio jingles in the 70s, protest marches in the 80s, ad campaigns and bilingual weather reports in the 90s, to ‘arohatia te reo’, the hei tiki and parades for all New Zealanders in the 2000s. Te Wiki has birthed the translation of a beloved home-grown chocolate bar’s name and an online Māori-moment for 1 million people during a pandemic. Community by community, Te Wiki has grown stronger each year. 

While Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) now leads Te Wiki, Māori Language Week was already taking the country by storm more than a decade before Te Taura Whiri was created, and before te reo Māori was made an official language. Both occurred in 1987.  

So, on this 50th anniversary, take a moment to reflect on the achievements of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and all who have fought for the language - every week, every month and every year. Recommit to the dream that te reo Māori will be a normal part of everyday life in Aotearoa – heard, spoken and loved by all.  

Kia kaha te reo Māori. Ake ake ake.