Te Wiki o te Reo Māori / Māori language week 2024
For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024 we’ve gathered some small resources that you might be able to use at work, at home, or at play, to normalise the use of te Reo in your day.
This year’s theme is Ake, ake, ake – mō ake tonu te reo (a forever language). No matter your experience, we hope you learn something new or feel a little more confident to try some new te reo Māori this week.
Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou – Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
What is karakia and why is it important?
Karakia is a spiritual connection to the elements of earth, wind, fire and water. For Māori, the natural world and ngā Atua (gods) were always connected and didn’t stand separately. Today, karakia are used to (amongst other things) encourage generosity and acceptance of thoughts, give thanks to the world around us, and as a loving blessing.
ANZCA’s karakia provides a special karakia to provide pre-surgery comfort to patients and their whānau. Read more on ANZCA’s website
This ‘general purpose’ karakia can be used in a variety of scenarios such as to open a meeting.
Karakia Timatanga
Tūtawa mai i runga
Tūtawa mai i raro
Tūtawa mai i roto
Tūtawa mai i waho
Kia tau ai
Te mauri tū
Te mauri ora, ki te kātoa
Haumi ē, hui ē, taiki ē!
Come forth from above, below, within and from the environment
Vitality and wellbeing for all
Strengthened in unity
Credit: Scotty Morrison
This Karakia can be used to close a meeting.
Kia whakairia te tapu
Kia wātea ai te ara
Kia tūruku whaktaha ai
Haumi ē, hui ē, taiki ē
Restrictions are moved aside
So the pathway is clear
To return to everyday activities
Come together, affim!
Karakia mō te kai (karakia for food) acknowledges and thanks the environment for providing kai, those who have prepared it and those with whom we are sharing it. It’s a small moment to pause and appreciate, before eating. Here’s a short karakia mō te kai you might like to try.
Ki taku whānau
Me ngā hoa
Me te kai
Kia ora
To our families, our friends and our food, we give thanks
This episode of the RNZ’s podcast, The detail, discusses karakia – what they are; what role they perform; and why there’s been some resistance to them.
Listen to RNZ
Mihi o te rā - Greetings about your day
Mihi o te pō - Greet the end of the day
Waiata
Waiata (song) serves many different roles in Māori culture. They may be used to support a whaikōrero (a formal speech), an expression of grief, education, or encouragement to call people together – amongst many other reasons.
The alphabet song is one example of waiata assisting learning and practising the Māori alphabet and pronunciation.
Here’s another waiata on YoutTube you can try out too.
More resources
More resources if you’d like to do some additional learning.
Apps
The NZSA does not endorse any of the resources shared on this page. These are gathered in the hopes to help you in your journey of learning and using te Reo Māori. We hope you enjoy them.
