This is the 50th anniversary of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. The late Hana Te Hemara, with the support of Ngā Tamatoa, Te Reo Māori Society and Te Huinga Rangatahi, delivered the “Māori Language Week petition” in 1972. In 1978, Te Reo Māori Society and Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i Te Reo delivered another petition that demonstrated airwaves as a taonga under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in order to secure the ability to broadcast Te Reo on radio. The language has been given new life through the establishment of Māori institutions in education, government and media including kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa Māori, iwi radio stations, Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo, the various wānanga Māori such as Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Wānanga o Raukawa and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, as well as Whakaata Māori and more recently established, Te Mātāwai. Earlier this week I attended the 50th commemoration of Te Wiki o Te Reo and the Te Reo Māori Society at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Ōtaki.

Source: Stuff September 18, 2022 10:00 UTC