Māori Language Week.
Ko “Ake Ake Ake – Mō Ake Tonu Te Reo” te kaupapa o te Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024.
Ka whakanui tana kaupapa i te ukauka pūmau o te reo Māori i Aotearoa, hei reo kōrero mō te iwi katoa.
“I raro i te tāmitanga, kua whakaatu te reo Māori, ka urutau ia, ā, ka ora,” te kī a Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, Tumu Whakahaere, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
“Ka tupu ngātahi te reo me tō tātou iwi, tō tātou ahurea me tō tātou taiao.”
“He rite te tūātau ‘ake, ake, ake’ ki te kīanga, ‘Mō ake tonu atu’. E hāngai ana ki te ukauka pūmau o te reo Māori me te hunga e manawanui ana ki tōna whakarauoratanga,” hei tā Apanui-Barr.
I te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, i rangatū Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū ki Ūropi me te waiata ake “Ake! Ake! Kia Kaha e!”. I ēnei rā, rangona ai te tūātau nei hei whakakapi i ngā karakia me ngā whaikōrero i roto i te kotahitanga.” Ahakoa puta ki whea tēnei tūātau, e whakaatu ana a ‘Ake ake ake’ i te tūmanako me te manawaroa.
He rākau taketake te akeake e mōhiotia ana mō tōna tūmārō. Ko ōna uri he rākau tino kaha rawa atu i ngā rākau taketake katoa. Ka tupu ia i ētahi o ngā āhuarangi uaua rawa. E whakamahara ana tōna ingoa ki a tātou i tōna ukauka pūmau. Ka rite ki te reo Māori.
“Ko te reo Māori hoki tērā, he pihinga, he pitomata. Ki te whakatupu ki te taha o ētahi atu, ka tupu matomato mēnā ka poipoia, hei ruruhau mō ngā uri whakatupu” te kōrero a Apanui-Barr.
Mō tēnei tau ka whakaterea e Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori he waiata hou mō Te Wiki, ka whakanuia anō hoki ngā hoa o te reo Māori mai i te ao pakihi, ka manaaki i te whakatakoto kōrero ā-ipurangi a te Kaikomihana tuatahi o Kānata mō ngā reo taketake, ā, ka hoki mai ngā hīkoi reo Māori ki Pōneke me Ōtautahi, te tuatahi mai i te tau 2019.
“Nā te heipūtanga mai o te mate urutā, i neke ā mātou whakatairanga katoa ki te ipurangi kia haumaru ai. He rawe te hoki atu o tō tātou reo ki ngā tiriti, ngā kura me ngā wāhi tākaro. Karawhiua e hoa mā!”
Ka āhei ngā tāngata katoa te whakaatu i te aroha ki te reo. Mai i te whakaatu i te pānui whakaahua kitakita ki te hapori, te kī atu ‘kia ora’ ki te kaihautū pahi, te whakatangi rārangi waiata Māori i te wharekai, te hono atu ki te hīkoi reo Māori, te manaaki i tētahi kaupapa rānei. He āwhinatanga katoa ēnei kia ora ai te reo Māori.
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The theme for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024 is ‘Ake Ake Ake – A Forever Language’.
The theme celebrates the resilience of te reo Māori in Aotearoa, for all New Zealanders to enjoy.
“Under enduring pressure te reo Māori has shown it will adapt and survive,” says Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, Tumu Whakahaere, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.
“Te reo Māori grows with our people, our culture and our environment.
“‘Ake ake ake’ means ‘everlasting’. It captures the endurance of te reo Māori and all those who are committed to it,” says Apanui-Barr.
In World War II, the 28th Māori Battalion marched into Europe singing ‘Ake! Ake! Kia Kaha e!’ Today the phrase ends karakia and speeches with unity and solidarity. Wherever this uplifting expression appears, ‘Ake ake ake’ symbolises hope and resilience.
The native ake ake tree is also known for its durability. It produces some of the strongest of all native woods and grows in some of the harshest climates. Its name reminds us of its endurance, just like te reo Māori.
“We can think of te reo Māori as a seedling with potential. Raised with others, given care and effort, it can grow to give shelter for future generations,” Apanui-Barr says.
This year Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori is launching a catchy new waiata for Te Wiki, it will celebrate friends of te reo Māori in the business sector, host an open webinar with Canada’s first ever Commissioner for Indigenous Languages and the colourful parades are making a comeback in Wellington and Christchurch, the first since 2019.
“We had to move all our celebrations online over the last few years to keep ourselves safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s great to get our reo back on the streets, schools, workplaces and sports sidelines. Let’s celebrate!”
All New Zealanders can show their support for te reo. From displaying vibrant posters in their community, saying “kia ora” to the bus driver, playing waiata Māori playlists in the cafe, joining a parade or hosting an event. It all helps to make te reo Maōri a living language.
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