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National | Māori Language Commission

Wellington to host inaugural Māori language parade

Wellington will host Aotearoa's very first Māori language parade on 4 July.

Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori is rallying together thousands of people to take part in the event which will kick off this year's Māori Language Week campaign.

Commission Chief Executive Ngahiwi Apanui says, “We are taking te reo Māori to the streets and making it visible in places and spaces where it isn’t.

Every New Zealander has a role to play in the revitalisation of te reo and we want to involve Māori and non- Māori in the biggest celebration of te reo that our country has ever put on.”

Te Taura Whiri is calling for groups from public and private sectors, universities, wānanga, schools, kura, play centers, kōhanga reo, sports teams, kapa haka groups, marae and hapū in the Wellington region to join in on the parade.

The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘ākina te reo’ which is about using the language to show support, including for our country’s athletes who are heading to Rio for the Olympic Games in August.

The parade will start at 11am at Parliament and end at Te Papa Tongarewa (via Lambton Quay).

Each group is encouraged to organise a float and embellish it with signs and symbols supporting the Māori language.