Ko te reo kia rere. Ko te reo kia tika. Ko te reo kia Māori.
Let the language flow. Let the language be correct. Let the language come from a te ao Māori worldview.
To celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), enjoy unlocking unique versions of a familiar waiata with an interactive game in downtown square Te Komititanga; challenging yourself to ‘Let the language flow’ with neon kupu (words) shining in Lorne Street; and hearing free live performances in te reo Māori at Queens Wharf.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori celebrates 50 years since the inaugural Māori Language Week in 1975 - a powerful initiative that continues to champion te reo Māori and bring people and communities together. Similarly, Mahuru Māori, established in 2014, is a month-long challenge encouraging everyday use of te reo Māori.
You're invited to take part in these three activations in the city centre:
Interactive game celebrates te reo Māori in Te Komititanga
Miki Rapu Waiata: Ka Mua Ka Muri brings waiata to Te Komititanga in the form of a unique live-digital game that celebrates te reo Māori.
Acclaimed songwriter and producer Geneva AM (Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Aitutaki, Palmerston) has created a musical, interactive game to celebrate 50 years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
Miki Rapu Waiata: Ka Mua, Ka Muri, invites Aucklanders and visitors to hunt for brightly coloured Hei Tiki hidden around the waterfront of Tāmaki Makaurau. Each one reveals the power and poetry of te reo Māori, and unlocks unique versions of familiar waiata as you've never heard them before.
Fresh from the release of her album Pikipiki, Geneva has developed the game in collaboration with new-form theatre company, Binge Culture and homegrown digital platform, PickPath.
Simply go to the whare at the centre of Te Komititanga, scan the QR code and begin your quest. The more Hei Tiki you find, the more waiata you unlock — and the more chances you have to win a limited-edition Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori hoodie.
Miki Rapu Waiata: Ka Mua, Ka Muri is proudly supported by the Auckland Council whānau and the city centre targeted rate, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, Te Māngai Pāho & Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission.
Find out more with dates and times at OurAuckland Events.
Neon art lights up three symbolic kupu (words) in midtown
View three 2-metre pieces of neon art on lamp posts in Lorne Street, opposite the Central City Library, until 2 December. They will light up three cornerstone kupu: Rere, Tika and Māori, referencing this whakatauākī (saying):
Ko te reo kia rere. Ko te reo kia tika. Ko te reo kia Māori.
Let the language flow. Let the language be correct. Let the language come from a te ao Māori worldview.
The creators of this striking neon artwork, which references the permanent REO sculptural installation in Lorne Street, are Ataahua Papa (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta) and Angus Muir Design for Auckland Council.
Ataahua Papa explains that the call was made in September 1972 for the recognition and revitalisation of te reo Māori.
“The call came from representatives of Ngā Tamatoa, Victoria University's Te Reo Māori Society, and the New Zealand Māori Students Association in the form of a petition with over 30,000 signatures.
“Many initiatives now combine to encourage people around Aotearoa to speak more reo Māori in a way that is comfortable for them, be it an hour a day, two hours a day, one day a week or immersion for the entire month of Mahuru - early September to early October in accordance with the Maramataka Māori,” she says.
Star line-up fills Queens Wharf with waiata
A talented line-up of performers and DJs is set to take the stage for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori next week at Queens Wharf in Auckland’s downtown.
Celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Passion to Profession (P2P) in collaboration with RepFM is staging this series of pop-up lunchtime performances. The artists, all performing in te reo Māori, include Beau Monga, Mads Parker, Karleen, Willz, Hazaduz and Sunz.
This live music in the Queens Wharf Village will happen from midday until 2pm from Monday 15 September to Saturday 20 September. Find out more at OurAuckland Events.
P2P is a grass-roots mentorship programme and community school strengthening vocational and entrepreneurial pathways for students whose passion is in the creative arts.
These three activations celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori are proudly supported by Auckland Council. The neon art and Miki Rapu Waiata: Ka Mua, Ka Muri are funded by the city centre targeted rate.
In addition, Auckland Council, in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, will release a powerful waiata called ‘Take Whenua’ on 18 September, honouring the deep and enduring connection between tangata (people) and whenua (land) in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Read more about ‘Take Whenua’ at Our Auckland.
