Josh Te Kani, Mitch Lowe and Pato Alvarez. Photo / George Novak
Josh Te Kani, Mitch Lowe and Pato Alvarez. Photo / George Novak
Some of New Zealand's biggest music festivals are set to become bilingual as a way to better celebrate the country's indigenous culture.
From next year, Tauranga's One Love and Bay Dreams Mount Maunganui and Nelson will transform into bilingual events, featuring te reo Māori on all signage and te reo and English translations on the websites.
Social media posts for One Love, which is organised by Tauranga promoter Pato Alvarez, and the Bay Dreams events, which Alvarez and business partner Mitch Lowe are behind, will also feature more te reo Māori.
The move is being made to promote the importance of Māori culture in New Zealand.
Lowe and Alvarez said they had been wanting to create bilingual festivals for years and were now in a position to invest and commit to making that reality.
The pair say the aim is to strengthen the Māori language by promoting it to the tens of thousands of people who attend their events, as well as to the world through the website and international artists on the line-up.
"The Māori culture is very important and we should be very proud of it," Alvarez said.
It is hoped all music festivals and events around the country will follow their lead.
Josh Te Kani, who acts as a cultural adviser for the events and MC for One Love, said both Lowe and Alvarez were "supporting Māori culture by supporting the language".
Signage at Bay Dreams, left, and One Love, right, will feature te reo from next year. Photos / Supplied
"It's a great initiative," Te Kani said.
"Their hearts are in the right place, they're doing it for the right reasons."
Registered interpreters from Tauranga Moana would be in charge of the translations, using local dialect, which Te Kani said strengthened the sense of belonging the community had for these major events.
"It's really cool to have that kind of support from event organisers.
"It goes a really long way promoting the language."
Te Kani said while te reo was steeped throughout One Love, opening and ending with a karakia, the use of the language when he speaks to the crowd and also through artists' own performances, adding more and including Bay Dreams would allow the Māori culture to reach new audiences.
One Love attracts more than 20,000 people and Bay Dreams about 30,000 people when they are held in Tauranga over summer and Te Kani said showcasing te reo at both music festivals in front of diverse cultures would only strengthen the language, increase people's pride in te reo and make it more appealing for everyone to use.
"That's why these guys are on the cutting edge, they can foresee what's good. I'm pretty stoked myself."
