This is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Maori Language Week (1-7 June).
[The New Zealand Lectionary notwithstanding – that document has it as the last week in June; two weeks are fine in any case, and the whole month of June would be even better!]
Te Reo Māori is one of three official languages in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The point of Te Wiki is not for this to be the only one week in the year in which we use Te Reo. The point is to progress in your usage; to give Te Reo a boost. Essentially every service I lead (whatever the time of year), people would take for granted that Te Reo is naturally a component. Te Wiki is an encouragement (a challenge) to improve in Te Reo. Of course, if you are just starting, be encouraged to give it a go (rather than guilt-riven).
This year you are encouraged, amongst other uses of Te Reo, to use Ngā ingoa Māori/Māori names. You can use this on facebook, for example, as encouraged by Mikaere Greenslade.
Te Reo is inseparable from Maori culture and spirituality.
Regularly there is much made of Aotearoa New Zealand being a “secular” nation. But parliament begins with (Christian) prayer, the two national anthems are addressed to God (do you know the Te Reo version by heart?), and the influence of Maori is noticed in karakia (prayer) being common in “secular” schools, tapu being declared and lifted,…
Pakeha are much enriched by Maori non-dualism, approach to death, dialogue and consensus, …
Overseas readers might learn from Maori, and/or indigenous people in your own context, and/or in other contexts, including how language affects understanding…
A New Zealand Prayer Book – He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa is, of course, a great resource for Te Reo, especially using Te Reo in worship.
