Commission humbled by big businesses getting behind te reo
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori is impressed with the new thinking and actions a number of big businesses have taken this
Māori Language Week to support te reo Māori.
“We are very proud to see so many high-profile groups support this year’s campaign,” said Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori
chief executive Ngahiwi Apanui. “Their efforts may be small steps towards revitalisation of the language but we are
pleased to see so many businesses start their te reo journeys.”
The commission wants to acknowledge the following groups for their te reo efforts this week:
• All Blacks for making a decision this week to give more support to their players who want to learn te reo Māori
• Air NZ for producing a tohu or pin for their Māori language speaking staff and for bilingualising their in-flight
service
• TranzRail, Tranzdev and Greater Wellington Regional Council for producing new audio announcements on the Wellington
train lines that not only correct the mispronunciation of Māori place names but also introduce Māori greetings including
‘nau mai haere mai’
• Westpac for introducing a Māori language option on their ATMs throughout the country
• Progressives (Fresh Choice and Super Value) for putting Māori names on a range of their products
• TVNZ for creating their own te reo ads and Breakfast for ensuring a space was made every day this week to talk about
te reo Māori
• Newshub for wide coverage of te reo across most of their programmes
• NZ Herald for running stories translated into te reo every day this week
• NZ Olympic Committee for running posts on their social media pages in te reo Māori
“We’ve been working with most of these groups for a while now, so their commitment to having te reo Māori as a permanent
part of their business and activities is ongoing. If we are to change attitudes about the language then we need to work
with these businesses and more because they can help us reach audiences we don’t currently reach.”
This week the Commission fielded numerous calls from government organisations and businesses wanting to do more for the
language.
“I think we’re going to have our work cut out for us over the coming months but that’s got to be a great thing for te
reo Māori.”
ENDS