Manurewa Local Board is planning to introduce bilingual Māori / English and dual signage in the workplace and the community.
Board chair Angela Dalton says board members and staff are keen to embrace te reo Māori and initially decided to introduce signs for things like the reception area, kitchen and meeting rooms.
“The more we talked about it the more excited we got and we realised we had a real opportunity to take the lead in our community in showcasing te reo Māori throughout Manurewa," she said.
“We are fortunate to have our deputy chair, Rangi McLean, leading us on this journey and championing this initiative.”
Mr McLean is fluent in te reo Māori and is proud that the local board is taking the lead on showcasing the language.
“Over time we would love to see all the main signs in our office in te reo and for our parks and community facilities to also have Māori names."
The local board is working with council staff on a timeline and costings for introducing the signs.
Kia Ora - It's Māori Language Week
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2017 (Māori Language Week 2017) runs from Monday 11 September to Sunday 17 September.
The theme 'Kia ora te reo Māori' was chosen to celebrate New Zealand’s indigenous greeting, and also as the words ‘Kia ora’ are an exact description of the intent of the new partnerships for te reo Māori revitalisation.
