9 July 2004


New Zealand dedicates week to promote indigenous culture

New Zealand is dedicating a week to promote Te Reo Maori, the language of its indigenous culture.

Maori Language Week (26 July - 01 August 2004) will kick off with the launch of a new booklet - 'Give it a go - Korero Maori' offering people encouragement to speak the native tongue.

Maori Language Commission CEO Haami Piripi says it's about New Zealanders having a greater sense of pride in the language and its contribution to New Zealand's unique identity.

"Like the haka and other traditional Kiwi icons the Maori language is part of New Zealand's point of difference. The language is becoming part and parcel of our everyday lives."

He says it's important we recognise and build on that as a country.

Mr Piripi says more than 300 businesses and organisations are expected to participate in the week long promotion through concerts, road shows, art exhibitions, open days, radio shows and film screenings.

Taki Rua Productions, a multi-award winning production company, is running a 'New Zealand Te Reo Maori Tour', taking a play written and performed in Maori around the country from July to October.

The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua in the central North Island is holding a photographic exhibition of Maori weaving and the country's national archive is holding an exhibition exploring the history of the language.

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About Maori Culture

Maori make up about 15 per cent of the country's population of four million. It's easy to experience the culture when visiting New Zealand. Probably the most well known spot to do this is the geo-thermal region of Rotorua in the North Island, where tourists can enjoy Maori kai (food) cooked on hot stones underground as part of a traditional hangi. They can also enjoy a Maori powhiri (welcome), visit local marae (meeting houses), listen to kapa haka (traditional performances of song and dance) and experience thermal pools. Northland, the northern part of the North Island, is also steeped in Maori history. It is believed that the first Polynesian voyagers arrived in Northland during the 11th century. The Treaty of Waitangi, the document that founded bicultural New Zealand, was signed in Northland in 1840. Visitors can visit the Waitangi National Reserve, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

For more information see: