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Māori Language Week
In its own language: Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
An annual nationwide week promoting the learning and use of te reo across New Zealand
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is an annual government-backed observance in New Zealand held every September around the fourteenth of the month. Across classrooms, civic spaces and workplaces, people join together to practise, promote and revitalise the Indigenous Māori tongue through music, public gatherings and everyday conversation.
When is Māori Language Week kept?
Māori Language Week is kept every year in September, during the week containing the 14th.
Every September, people throughout New Zealand set aside seven days to speak, hear and revitalise te reo Māori, the Indigenous language of the land. State agencies, schools, public libraries and community groups take part. The observance grew out of a grassroots youth petition delivered in 1972, creating space for ordinary citizens to share greetings, study vocabulary, broadcast bilingual music and ensure the ancestral tongue continues to thrive in daily life.
Origins and the 1972 petition
The movement started during a period of rising political action by Indigenous groups. In 1972, young activists from Ngā Tamatoa joined university language societies and the national Māori students' association to petition Parliament. On 14 September of that year, they handed over a document bearing more than thirty thousand signatures that urged the state to offer te reo in school classrooms. That key date was initially marked as Māori Language Day from 1972 to 1974. By 1975, widespread community momentum transformed the single day into an expansive seven-day observance across the nation.
Civic and creative projects
Today, leadership for the week comes from Te Puni Kōkiri alongside Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the language commission. Over the decades, events have ranged from 1977 street teams sharing Kia ora stickers in Dunedin to digital milestones like Google launching a localized Māori search interface in 2008. The arts community plays a major part. In 2017, Disney's animated film Moana was re-voiced in te reo by its original cast and screened freely in dozens of cinemas nationwide. Public libraries, classrooms and workplaces consistently mount special displays, talks and language classes.
Music and mass participation
Pop culture and collective action keep public interest high. In 2014, artists collaborated on the chart-topping single Aotearoa, while Hinewehi Mohi initiated the Waiata / Anthems project in 2019 to help prominent recording acts adapt their songs into te reo. In September 2021, over 1.1 million people joined a simultaneous midday language moment, committing to speak te reo together. Retailers and sports squads have also embraced the occasion, including the national cricket side competing under the name Aotearoa in 2015 and chocolate makers issuing special bilingual packaging.
How Māori Language Week is kept
Throughout the week, participants incorporate te reo into daily routines at home, work and school. People greet one another in Māori, read bilingual books and practise new vocabulary. Radio stations and musicians release tracks translated into te reo, while cultural organisations host storytelling sessions, workshops and film screenings. At designated moments during the week, large crowds and workplace teams pause at midday to speak Māori phrases together, showing collective solidarity for the survival and growth of the language.
When and where
The week occurs annually in September. It is scheduled to cover the full seven days containing 14 September, which marks the anniversary of the landmark 1972 language petition delivered to Parliament.
The event is observed across New Zealand in cities, regional towns and rural communities. Activities take place in schools, marae, government offices, public libraries, sports grounds and broadcast media.
What Māori Language Week means
For Māori communities and wider New Zealand society, the week embodies a commitment to linguistic survival and cultural justice. Born from youth activism, it commemorates the fight to safeguard te reo in education while treating the language as a living treasure for everyone in the country to value, learn and speak.
Questions people ask about Māori Language Week
When is Māori Language Week kept?
Māori Language Week is kept every year in September, during the week containing the 14th.
What is Māori Language Week?
It is an annual government-backed initiative in New Zealand to encourage the use and revitalisation of te reo Māori. Communities, schools and state organisations participate through public events, educational activities and media projects.
How do people take part?
People practise speaking te reo at work, home and school. Musicians release songs in the language, cinemas host screenings, libraries run workshops, and participants occasionally join nationwide pledges to speak phrases simultaneously.
How did the tradition begin?
The tradition emerged from the Māori protest movement in the early 1970s. Activist groups gathered over thirty thousand signatures to petition the government for language teaching, leading to Māori Language Day in 1972 and a full week by 1975.
See also
Waitangi DayNew Zealand's national day remembering the 1840 founding agreement.
Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
Siva SamoaA graceful Samoan dance marked by subtle, expressive arm and hand movements
Morris danceA rhythmic English folk dance performed in costume with bells, sticks and handkerchiefsGood reading and sources
- New Zealand Māori party launches petition to change country’s name to AotearoaThe Guardian, Article
- New Zealand Māori party launches petition to change country’s name to AotearoaThe Guardian, Article
- Te Wiki o te Reo Māori on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Te Wiki o te Reo Māori", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.
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