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National | Awards

Māori Language Moment recognised in global awards

Māori Language Moment was an event that saw one in five New Zealanders celebrate te reo Māori and now it has been named a finalist in the globally recognised Reed Awards.

The te reo Māori campaign ran during Māori Language Week in 2020 and aimed to get one million people speaking, singing and celebrating te reo at the same time.

Māori Language Moment was created by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) and digital strategy company For Purpose. Both were named as finalists in the Reed Awards in Washington DC this week.

Reed Awards

Named after Campaigns & Elections journal magazine founder Stanley Foster Reed, the Reed Awards are the most rigorously critiqued awards in the political campaign industry.

The awards celebrate the best in grassroots advocacy and social campaigns from across the world

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori chief executive, Ngahiwi Apanui, says, “In the middle of a global pandemic, New Zealanders showed us their support for te reo is as strong as ever.

"Together more than one million of us created the largest single celebration of our language ever.

Te reo part of NZ's identity

The Colmar Brunton polling at the end of last year saw more than eight in 10 people see te reo Māori as something to be proud of and part of their identity as a New Zealander.

"It’s not just kia kaha te Reo Māori: it’s also Kia kaha Aotearoa," Apanui says.

“We are indebted to the expertise and guidance from the team at For Purpose who were with us every step of the way.”

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, finalist in the following categories:

Digital - Websites > Best Website for Issue Advocacy or Public Affairs Campaign

Grassroots Advocacy > Best Action Center/ Grassroots Website

International > Best International Website

Overall > Best Website

International > Best International Campaign (National)

The 2021 Reed Awards will be announced on May 13.