Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori

Arohatia te Reo - Cherish the language

Ko tenei Te Wiki O Te Reo Maori! Anei etahi mea pai mo koutou ki te tautoko tenei kaupapa.

It's Maori Language Week! Here are some things you can do to support the kaupapa...

This page has some great tips for beginners. Pronunciation, basic kupu (words) and korero ngawari (easy phrases).

And on this page they have some great suggestions for how you can celebrate Te Wiki O Te Reo Maaori in your own way. 

Sadly I haven't been able to find a single event happening in the city in relation to Te Reo but I'll keep looking at keep you all posted.

Meanwhile....

Me haere tere koe ki te toa (Countdown) ki te tiki to koutou papakupu Maaori (kore he utu!) hei mahue koe. 

Make sure you get down to your local Countdown store to pick up your (free!) phrase books. Get in there quick or you'll miss out! 

Anei etahi korero ngawari

Here are some easy sentences (Try using them with the kids this week)

Morena/Ata marie!

Good morning!

E oho! Maranga!

Wake up! Get up (out of bed)!

He aha o moemoea?

What dreams did you have?

E mate kai ana koe? 

Are you hungry?

Kaua e ngaungau.

Don't bite.

Tangohia o hu.

Take off your shoes.

Kaua e whakama.

Don't be shy.

Whengua to ihu.

Blow your nose.

He tino pai to mahi.

You've done a good job. 

Kei runga noa atu koe! 

You're the best!

Tino nui toku aroha mou.

I love you very much.

E moe.

Go to sleep.

And for those of you with teenagers already....

Kei te puta koe i ena kakahu?

Are you going out dressed like that?

As a disclaimer, my own Te Reo is still pretty basic. I had a lot of help from some very patient friends with this post! But whatever Reo I do have, I try to use with Haeata. We say wai for water, kai for food, kanikani for dance, mahana for warm etc... and other simple phrases like some of the above. We sing waiata, watch cartoons on Maaori TV and count to ten in Te Reo. This week I'm going to teach her "I love you" and use every kupu hou I know!

Exposing kids to other languages is never a bad thing and exposing them to Te Reo in particular gives them a much deeper connection to our country and a better understanding and sensitivity to our culture. Just start with the basics! Maori TV have recently cut their morning infomercials and have started showing language programs all morning so if you're at home switch it on and start to absorb!

As usual, I have music to go with everything so here is the beautiful and incredibly talented Ria Hall singing in both English and Te Reo.