Maori Language Week at the Library

Nau mai. Haere mai. Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to the Rodney Libraries.

We have been practising our Te Reo this week at the library, including snippets into our storytime sessions and highlighting one of the three official Kiwi languages with displays and the odd word.

The theme for this year's Maori Language week is Te Mahi Kai - The Language of Food which means that it is easy for everyone to include a word or two into their vocabulary this week.

The Maori Language Commission says "The key message for the language this year is encouraging use in communities. For this reason we have deliberately chosen an activity based theme to promote and widen spoken language in communities.
It is universally acknowledged that food as a culture and all the customs around it creates its own sense of community. It’s an appropriate means for disseminating a message about language therefore, and certainly from a Māori point of view, our own food culture, more particularly food gathering and preparation is a very central part of our identity.
We encourage a very liberal interpretation of the theme for this year because “te mahi kai” means not just partaking in a meal, but includes all the activity undertaken to create that meal, traditional as well as contemporary.
This can include hunting, diving, fishing, foraging, as well as shopping, through to food preparation in the kitchen. The language contained within just these activities alone is extensive, and provides a rich base for people and organisations to develop what we hope will be original and innovative Māori language initiatives and projects across the community. "

So here's a challenge for you. If even my 70 year old father can tell his grand daughter to "Come and get some kai", then there's no reason why you can't include a few of the following words into your day.

Food - Kai
Bread - Paraoa
Butter - Pata
Meat - Miti
Cheese - Tihi
Tomato - Tomato
Sandwich - Hanawhiti
Toast - Tohi
Egg - Heki
Breakfast - Parakuihi
Lunch - Tina
Dinner - Hapa
Cake - Keke
Children - Tamariki

Ka kite ano