Bay of Plenty has the most Maori language speakers in the country behind the Gisborne region, but it has declined about 1 per cent since the 2006 Census.
But only 3.7 per cent of New Zealanders speak Maori and of that only 0.63 are non-Maori.
"Most research tells us we should not be complacent, while a number of speakers are coming out of kura kaupapa Maori, kohanga etc, the statistics tell us that the number of speakers is actually declining, which is a worry, and that our language is not in a safe place," Mr Flavell said. He said Rotorua residents were lucky because the city had a number of Maori speakers. "We need to take that opportunity, the view has always been that we should not just have Maori Language Week but build on that to go to a Maori language month.
"I suppose it's a mind set, the first part, and one of the things that people have got to get to grips with is to be conscious that actually all around us, townships like Rotorua to Ngongotaha, to Owhata, to Otonga to Ngapuna and Whakarewarewa are a starting point for acknowledgment of Maori language as being the language of this land.
"The second part is moving into the whole issue of conversational Maori and I think that starts with a simple greeting and a simple build on from that.
"Otherwise it's not until you go overseas and you do appreciate that we can be bilingual and open up to that culture that sits all around us."
He said it was about encouraging everybody to speak Maori and teaching them what they could gain from speaking it. "This is a beautiful language, it's a spiritual language full of metaphor with sayings that are on par with great philosophers from around the world.
"Conversational Maori is about ability to get along with one another.
"We have moved a long way as a country. About 15 years ago, Hinewehi Mohi was criticised because she sang the national anthem in Maori and now everybody sings it in Maori and English as well ... but we must keep building on that.
"I'm hoping to bring more of a bicultural flavour to things ... Maori language is for all of us."
This year the week's theme is aligned to sports because 74 per cent of New Zealanders engage in sports (either as players, volunteers or spectators) and 68 per cent of all Maori people engage in sports. "The idea of having sports stars is because they are recognisable, they are stars in their own right and if they can do it then anybody can do it," Mr Flavell said.
Te reo phrase:
Maori: Kia kaha e hoa ma!
English: Let's go team!
Maori language by the numbers:
* 28 per cent of Maori in the Bay of Plenty can speak te reo.
* 7.9 per cent of all people in the Bay of Plenty can speak te reo.
* 3.7 per cent of New Zealanders can speak te reo.
* Of that 3.7 per cent only 0.63 per cent are non-Maori te reo speakers.
- Information sourced from the 2013 Census
