Celebrate Maori Language week with the Library

Celebrate Māori Language Week (4-10 July) with us. Find out about our recommended Māori books and resources; services and collections at Auckland Libraries. Let our specialist staff assist you with any Māori family and/or local history research. Here are just some of the things that you can now find and have access to as part of Auckland Libraries.

Read our popular topic about the evolution of te reo Māori by Pou Arahi Taonga Heritage Māori Librarian, Rob Eruera.
See top books and resources that relate to the Māori language.

Read the July issue of our Māori Services eNewsletter, which celebrates Māori Language Week with a selection of titles to get you started learning te reo Māori.

DID YOU KNOW that we have a special Māori services section. Our dedicated Māori staff can provide you with specialist knowledge and advice. They can:

• assist in whakapapa research or history for whānau, hapū and iwi


• locate information on kaupapa Māori


• support the community through our Māori services and events


• enhance access to Māori collections and information


• offer one-on-one or group whakapapa sessions and training on Māori databases, resources and our website


• arrange for Māori speaking staff to travel to your marae or community centre.

Many of the 55 branches of Auckland Libraries hold Maori resources and taonga in special collections. Items include an unsigned copy of the Treaty of Waitangi, the original Sir George Grey Special Collections New Zealand Māori manuscripts and letters, including facsimile copies, tribal and oral histories and much much more.

For full information and details of our Maori Services and Collection check out the Maori Langauge Week page on our website.

Whakanuia Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We are celebrate Maori Language Week this week. It runs from the 4th to the 10th of July and the theme this year is Manaakitanga.


““Manaakitanga” is a very important tenet of Māori custom and identity, that has, I believe, positively influenced notions of good old ‘Kiwi’ hospitality. At its core manaakitanga is about how we make people feel welcome when they are in our company, and how we give regard to and care for others when hosting visitors”, says Chief Executive of the Maori Language Commission, Glenis Philip-Barbara.


The key message is about promoting Māori language use in communities and homes. As well as a wealth of resources and help for doing this on the World Wide Web and on Television through the Maori and Te Reo channels, the library can help out with bilingual books, language resources for beginners through to more advanced speakers. Here are a few things to help.


Korero Maori is the Maori Language Commission website which can be accessed all year round but is especially good at this time of year when preserving and promoting Te Reo is highlighted.


Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, Maori Language Week is on Facebook (as are most things these days). Find out what organisations are doing around New Zealand, who is supporting the language and practice your te reo.


100 Maori words every New Zealander should know according to the website NZ History online.

Maori Language Conversation and Phrase books can be found on our non-fiction shelves under Call Number (found on the spine) 499.4. There are also tapes and CD's so you can listen to get the pronunciation correct.

Maori Language as a subject search provides the dictionaries and phrase books, but also commentaries about Te Reo, it's history, development and place in modern society.

Maori Language Materials From picture books to adult titles, bilingual to those books in Te Reo only, if you want to practice your reading in one of the official langauges of New Zealand, the library can help you here too.

That's just for starters. Keep an eye on the Blog this week as I let you know how else the Library can help with your Te Reo.

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

Geremy's te reo for the weekend

Hei apopo te ra whakamutunga o te Wiki o te Reo Maori. Engari e hoa ma kaua pa pouri, ahakoa aianei ka mutu tenei wiki whakahirahira hei whakatarewa i te reo ki tona tiketike, e kore e mutu te hoe i to tatou waka reo.

Today signals the last day of Maori Language Week. But don’t be sad folks, even though the Maori Language buzz will end, the waka never stops being paddled.

Here is today's lesson:

E aha ana koe a nga ra whakataa nei?
What are you doing for the weekend?

Kei te whakataa ana au.
I am going to rest.

Kei te panui Pukapuka ana au.
I am going to read a book.

E haere ana au ki te karakia.
I am going to church.

E haera ana au ki te paati.
I am going to a party.

E haere ana au ki te paparakaauta.
I am going to the pub.

Te Akoranga Maori mo te ra nei - today’s Te Reo Lesson

Rau rangatira ma, tena koutou katoa.

Here's the second blog from Geremy Hema, RDC's Poutakawaenga (Iwi Liaison). In Maori culture it is always important to let people know who you are and what you do.

Ko Te Akoranga Tuarua
The second lesson

Anei te patai
Here is the question

No hea koe?
Where are you from?

Anei te whakautu
Here is the answer

No (Place name, e.g. Orewa) ahau
I am from Orewa

He aha to mahi?
What do you do for work?

E mahi ana au mo te (Organisation e.g. Kaunihera-a-rohe o Ra Whiti Te Uru)
I work for Rodney District Council.

Noho ora mai
May you be well

Maori Language Week - <3tia te reo

Tena koutou! This week is Maori Language Week. It has been celebrated in New Zealand since 1975. Maori became an official language of New Zealand in 1987.

RDC's Poutakawaenga (Iwi Liaison), Geremy Hema, has kindly given permission for us to reproduce his internal blog posts on the library blog this week. He's challenging us all to participate in Te wiki o te reo Maori and says "Have fun and feel free to a have laugh while trying to pronounce the words!"

Below is the first lesson.

Ko Te Akoranga Tuatahi
First Lesson

Tena Koe
Greetings to you ( one person)

Kei te pehea koe?
How are you? (one person)

Kei te pai
I am good

Me koe hoki?
And yourself ?

Kei te pai hoki
I am also well

Kia mahara tatou, kia koa tatou i roto i enei mahi.
Remember folks, make it fun!!!

Korero Maori i te kainga?

Tena koutou! Māori Language Week runs from 21-27 July, 2008. The theme for 2008 is "Te Reo i te Kāinga - Māori Language in the Home." There are lots of opportunities to use Maori at home from greetings to cheering on the ABs.

Here are some ideas from the Korero Maori website.
I pēhea tō rā? - How was your day?
Pai mārika taku rā! - I had a great day!
He aha pea he mahi mā tāua? - Shall we do something?
Ka rawe. - Choice, awesome.
Tēnā rāwā atu koe. - Thank you

In todays NZ Herald there's an article about txting in te reo. (2mke.) There are some useful phrases for Aucklanders at the end of the article. Stuff has news about Google being available in Maori. The language option goes live this Wednesday. The library catalogue is available in te reo - Putumohio went live during Te wiki o te reo Maori a couple of years ago.

Kia rā pai tēnei mōu - Have a wonderful day