From parades to an online gathering

In 2016 we hosted the first Māori Language parade in Wellington. It was a new way to unite our communities and schools behind te reo. Three years later, more than 30,000 people marched in seven parades across Aotearoa. These parades become major national events uniting people from all walks of life. 

In 2020, COVID-19 saw us cancel our language parades but that didn’t stop us from bringing people together. We asked 1 million people to join us for a Māori Language Moment - Te Wā Tuku Reo Māori.

At 12pm on Monday 14 September 2020, the same date and time the Māori Language Petition was delivered to parliament in 1972, 1 million answered our call. Together we made history by creating the largest, single celebration of the Māori language in history. Never have so many people ever celebrated our language together at the same time.