Te Māngai Pāho welcomes innovation in te reo Māori space

Te Māngai Pāho and Te Puni Kōkiri signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that signals the first tangible step in the implementation of the Maihi Karauna: The Crown’s Strategy for Māori Language Revitalisation 2018 - 2023.

The MOU will see Te Māngai Pāho collaborate with others in the sector to develop and deliver a suite of innovative initiatives aimed at encouraging more rangatahi to use te reo Māori in their everyday lives.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Te Māngai Pāho to work with Māori Television and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori to explore and prototype innovative new approaches to language revitalisation. We all know that the landscape has changed, this is our collective opportunity to demonstrate that we are moving too,” says Larry Parr, Kaihautū of Te Māngai Pāho.

The Maihi Karauna sets out a vision for te reo Māori in the future, outlining what the Crown will do to support a strong, healthy, thriving Māori language in New Zealand: Kia māhorahora te reo - everywhere, every way, for everyone, every day. There is clear alignment with the long-standing Te Māngai Pāho vision: Ahakoa kei whea, ahakoa āwhea, ahakoa pēwhea, korero Māori!

“All New Zealanders can support the revitalisation of te reo Māori, whether they speak the language or not, in the last two or three years we have all seen the huge growth in the profile of te reo Māori. Enlightened young non-Māori New Zealanders have been instrumental in that growth. The challenge for us working in the Māori language space is to maintain that momentum at the same time as we maintain an appropriate service to serve fluent audiences. Innovation will be the key to our future success and the MOU is an opportunity for our people to show us what they can do.” Mr Parr says.

The MOU was signed at a ceremony at Te Puni Kōkiri Head Office in Wellington between Mr Parr on behalf of Te Māngai Pāho and Michelle Hippolite, Toihautū, Te Puni Kōkiri.

More information on Maihi Karauna is available here.

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