Kia ora koutou. Readers of The Star print edition will notice a fresh phrase on the front page today as they sip their kawhe (coffee) and sit down for a read.
To mark Te Wiki o te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week), Allied Press community newspapers carry a te reo Maori phrase in their
mastheads.
"Kei te pu o tō hapori" translates as: "At the heart of your community."
It’s an important message as we celebrate te reo Māori this week.
Civic institutions in Ōtepoti Dunedin are getting behind Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with guided tours and drop-in sessions, aiming to encourage people to expand their vocabulary.
Running nationwide from September 12-18, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is extra special this year, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the Maori Language Petition, which was a major turning point in the survival of te reo.
Te Petihana was signed by more than 30,000 people from around the country, and is being exhibited in full at the National Library in Wellington until December.
Dunedin Public Art Gallery is marking Te Wiki with a reorua (bilingual) Tour for Tots, and free drop-in sessions to play te reo Māori word games.
The gallery has free posters of Xoe Hall’s artwork Bloodline (2022), sharing a korero on Kāi Tāhu creation narratives.
Kā Kete Wānaka o Ōtepoti — Dunedin Public Libraries are inviting visitors to brush up on te reo Māori, learn some new kupu (words) and join in waiata (song).
Visitors can join exhibition curators for a guided tour of the Maori Legend exhibition, on now in the Reed Gallery, with a kaupapa to celebrate Māori artists and storytellers who worked on children’s pukapuka (books) from the 1960s to 1990s. The next tour will be this Sunday, September 18, from 11.30am in the Reed Gallery. Bookings essential.
People can also take part in a special te reo Māori scavenger hunt around City Library, and be in the draw to win a book. Ask at a help desk for a form.
