Mahuru Māori and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2025
On September 14 1972, Te Petihana Reo Māori – the Māori language petition – was delivered on the steps of Parliament. The petition called for the recognition and revitialisation of the Māori language and created a spark that would lead to te reo Māori being recognised as an official language of Aotearoa in 1987.
The first Te Wiki o te Reo Māori(external link) was celebrated in 1975 – making this year the event’s 50th anniversary!
This year, we’re supporting you to look beyond Te Wiki o te Reo Māori to Mahuru Māori(external link), Māori Language Month.
Mahuru Māori was started in 2014 by long-standing advocate for the revitalisation of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, Paraone Gloyne, to help normalise te reo.
Its purpose is to challenge us all to consciously use as much te reo during the four weeks. While Mahuru technically translates to September, Mahuru Māori is in line with the maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar. This year’s Mahuru commenced on Saturday 23 August and ends on Monday 22 September.
The purpose of Mahuru Māori is to challenge yourself with a reo goal and stick to it throughout the month. Whether you’re just beginning your reo journey or a fluent speaker, setting a Mahuru Māori goal is a great way to incorporate and champion te reo every day.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori falls on the last week of Mahuru Māori, beginning on Sunday 14 September and ending on Saturday 20 September.
‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’ is the theme for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. This represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of the Māori language. Languages thrive when people are actively learning, speaking, and listening.
We can all contribute to the endurance of te reo Māori by speaking a little bit every day.
We have some fun and educational activities planned for the organisation throughout the month to support you to reach your reo goals and help te reo Māori thrive.
As you engage in different kaupapa throughout the month, let us know about it! Send your photos and experiences through to teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz
Get involved:
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Te reo sessions: Our very own Te Iwa Johnston (Kaitohutohu Ahurea, Cultural Capability Advisor) is hosting Te Reo sessions throughout the month. These Rātū / Tuesday morning sessions are open to all Fire and Emergency personnel and will be hosted via Teams so everyone around the motu can join.
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Āhea | When |
Kaupapa | Topic |
Link to register |
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Tuesday, 2 September 10 – 10:30am |
Te Hītori o Te Reo | History of Te Reo and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
This session is focused on the history of Te Reo Māori and why Te Wiki o te Reo Māori / Mahuru Māori is important to us as a nation and Fire and Emergency as an organisation.
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Tuesday, 9 September 10 – 10:30am
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Te Timatanga | An Introduction
This session is focused on building and pronouncing your mihimihi, using our Whare Kōrero app(external link). This is also an opportunity for those who already have a mihimihi and want to add embellishments. |
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Tuesday, 16 September 10 – 10:30am
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Whiua te Reo | Pronouncing Te Reo
This session will be focussed on pronunciation. We will go through the vowels, our alphabet and commonly used words to get a feel for pronunciation. We will also go through our Kohinga Karakia(external link) booklet and go through pronunciation. |
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Tahutahu Wairua: Every Rāhina / Monday at 8.00am, Fire and Emergency hosts a morning karakia, helping us settle into the week ahead. Why not make it a goal to attend for the first time, or sign up to lead? To request an invite, contact the Pou Whirinaki team at teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz
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As you’ll see on the calendar at the bottom of this page, there are some NHQ based activities, but everyone can get involved by attending one of the motu-wide events, or take a look at the below resources for more inspiration!
More resources:
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Engage with Mahuru Māori’s Challenge Calendar(external link). Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced reo speaker, there will be a new challenge for you to be unlocked everyday.
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If you’re keen to get involved in the waiata, but aren’t based at NHQ, why not get a group together to sing some waiata during Mahuru Māori? Here are a couple of videos to get you warmed up:
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Want to practice your own te reo drink ordering skills? Download this kawhe card(external link) and try it out on your next coffee break.
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Why not open every hui (meeting) with a karakia? Check out this video(external link) to help you learn the Fire and Emergency karakia.
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Update your email signature to include your role title in te reo Māori(external link).
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Incorporate new kupu (words) and kiwaha (sayings) into your conversations throughout the month and beyond. Here are a few to get you started:
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Check out the official Reo Māori website(external link) for even more resources!
The month's events!
Mahuru Māori: Saturday 23 August 2025 – Monday, 22 September | Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori: 14 – 20 September
Country Wide Online Event | NHQ Event *RSVP or Teams link required to attend
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Māne / Rāhina (Monday) |
Tūrei / Rātū (Tuesday) |
Wenerei / Rāapa (Wednesday) |
Tāite / Rāpare (Thursday) |
Parairei / Rāmere (Friday) |
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Te rua tekau mā rima ō Ākuhata (25 August) |
Te rua tekau mā ono ō Ākuhata (26 August) |
Te rua tekau mā whetu ō Ākuhata (27 August) |
Te rua tekau mā waru ō Ākuhata (28 August) |
Te rua tekau mā iwa ō Ākuhata (29 August) |
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Tahutahu Wairua (morning karakia and waiata)* 8:00 to 8:10am – online (contact teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz to join |
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Shared Kai 12:30 to 1:30pm - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen |
Waiata Rōpu 8:30 to 8:45am - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen Te Reo Tea Trolley 2:00 – 3:00pm - we’ll come to you! |
Quiz Released via email in the morning
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Te tuatahi ō Mahuru (1 September) |
Te tuarua ō Mahuru (2 September) |
Te tuatoru ō Mahuru (3 September) |
Te tuawhā ō Mahuru (4 September) |
Te tuarima ō Mahuru (5 September) |
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Tahutahu Wairua (morning karakia and waiata)* 8:00 to 8:10am – online (contact teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz to join |
Reo Māori session: Te Hītori o Te Reo | History of Te Reo and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori* 10:00 to 10:45am – online (register here(external link)) |
Kiriata o te wiki (Video of the Week) 12:00 to 1:00pm - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen
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Waiata Rōpu 8:30 to 8:45am - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen Te Reo Tea Trolley 2:00 to 3:00pm - we’ll come to you! |
Quiz Released via email in the morning
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Te tuawaru ō Mahuru (8 September) |
Te tuarua ō tuaiwa (9 September) |
Te tekau ō Mahuru (10 September) |
Te tekau mā tahi ō Mahuru (11 September) |
Te tekau mā rua ō Mahuru (12 September) |
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Tahutahu Wairua (morning karakia and waiata)* 8:00 to 8:10am – online (contact teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz to join |
Reo Māori session: Te Timatanga | Introduction - Building your mihimihi* 10:00 to 10:30am – online (register here(external link)) |
Kiriata o te wiki (Video of the Week) 12:00 to 1:00pm - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen
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Waiata Rōpu 8:30 to 8:45am - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen Te Reo Tea Trolley 2:00 to 3:00pm - we’ll come to you! |
Quiz Released via email in the morning
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Te tekau mā rima ō Mahuru (15 September) |
Te tekau mā ono ō Mahuru (16 September) |
Te tekau mā whetu ō Mahuru (17 September) |
Te tekau mā waru ō Mahuru (18 September) |
Te tekau mā iwa ō Mahuru (19 September) |
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Tahutahu Wairua (morning karakia and waiata)* 8:00 to 8:10am – online (contact teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz to join
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Reo Māori session: Whiua te Reo | Pronouncing Te Reo* 10:00 to 10:30am – online (register here(external link)) |
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Waiata Rōpu 8:30 to 8:45am - 7th floor Boulcott kitchen Hāngi lunch* 12:30 – 1:30pm – 7th floor Boulcott kitchen (RSVP by 1 September; contact teahotapu@fireandemergency.nz) |
Quiz Released via email in the morning |