Te Tapere nui o Whatonga
Do you know the Maori word for ‘screenshot’? How about, ‘selfie’ or ‘profile picture?’
If you answered no to any of these you may want to get your hands on a new te reo Maori resource featuring technology terms produced by Te Taura Whirii te Reo Maori and Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
There are 30 techie words a and associated phrases for each day of the month in September.
Te Taura Whiri now holds Te Wiki o te Reo Maori [Maori Language Week] in September to coincide with Mahuru Maori, a Te Wananga o Aotearoa initiative that started at in 2014.
Mahuru Maori is an opportunity for people to commit to speaking Maori for all (or part) of September.
Last year a record 600 people registered for Mahuru Maori — where people choose to speak te reo Maori for a day, week or month during September, which is the English word for Mahuru.
This year more than 1700 people have registered on the mahurumaori.com website with about 800 challenging themselves to speak only te reo Maori for the entire month.
Te Wananga o Aotearoa chief executive Te Ururoa Flavell says Mahuru Maori has come of age and having the support of Te Taura Whiri i te reo Maori will provide a further boost to see more te reo Maori being used in daily life.
“I’m excited to hear more te reo Maori being spoken both at work and in the community during the next month and beyond. I have always been a strong advocate of te reo Maori and I’ll be supporting everyone who takes up the challenge.”
Te Taura Whiri Chief Executive Ngahiwi Apanui says Maori Language Week appeals to all Aotearoa while Mahuru Maori focuses on those well along a Maori language journey.
“Te reo Maori will flourish with everyone’s support, from those whose contribution is to encourage young people to those who contribute by talking the talk day in and day out.”
Registered participants will receive their Mahuru Maori packs in the coming days.
The packs contain resources including a phrase book, journal and cards to tell people they are taking part in the Mahuru Maori challenge. There will also be digital resources on the Mahuru Maori website.
Te Wiki o te Reo Maori runs from September 10-16. Mahuru Maori is also being supported by Te Puni Kokiri and Te Matawai.
People can register throughout the month.