The best way to get involved this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week is to learn Te Reo! The Māori language is considered a national taonga (treasure) and is undergoing a revival. We celebrate Māori Language week to help Te Reo remain a living language embraced throughout New Zealand.

Show your support by practicing these simple words and phrases in everyday conversation.

Discover how we're celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week across Aotearoa.

Monty the Monkey is here to help get you across a few everyday phrases.

Here are a few basic greetings

Bearing in mind there are can be multiple ways to say different phrases, we’ll just help you get kick started with one option.

• Hello – Kia ora (fun fact Kia ora also means thank you).
• Bye – Hei konā
• How are you? – Kei te pēhea koe?
• Good – Kei te pai

Learn more about Joseph Carrington the illustrator we partnered with this year here <link to artist Q&A here>

Some Māori place names

Get to know what your local town/city is called.

• Auckland – Tāmaki Makaurau
• Wellington – Te Whanganui-a-Tara
• Christchurch – Ōtautahi
• Dunedin – Ōtepoti

Classic shopping words

When you're visiting us here at Westfield, be sure to practice these in your daily shopping adventures!

• Where is the Kids Play Area? Kei hea te Wāhi Tākaro mō Ngā Tamariki?
• What day is Monty Mornings? He aha te rā tū ai a Monty Mornings?
• How are you today? Kei te pēhea koe i tēnei rā?
• Where would I find the supermarket? Kei hea te hokomaha?
• Let’s get something to eat. Me haere ki te kai.
• Can I please try this on? Tēnā, ka taea rānei e ahau te whakamau tēnei?

Classic sporting terms

Some easy terms and words to use when standing on the sidelines of the sports pitch each Saturday morning.

• Coach – Kaiwhakaako
• Referee – Kaiwawao
• Score – Kaute
• Win/winner – Toa
• Start/Kick off – Tīmatatia
• Foul – Hara
  Read more about Joe Carrington, the creator of our Māori Language Week artwork