The first of the many celebrations for te wiki o te reo Māori is underway in Wellington this morning.
The theme for the 42nd edition of te wiki is 'Kia ora te reo Māori' - let the Māori language live.
The Māori Language Commission estimates around 130,000 people can hold a conversation in te reo, while 300,000 are learning the language at school.
A further 10,000 are learning te reo at a tertiary level.
Around 25 floats were expected to join the parade as it makes its way from the Cenotaph on Lambton Quay to Civic Square.
