Ōpōtiki residents are invited to celebrate Māori Language Week (14 – 20 September 2026) with a series of free community activities at Ōpōtiki District Library.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week has been a thing in Aoteroa since 1975.
For some New Zealanders, every week is Māori Language Week while for others it may well be just another week, but for Joelle Cambell and the team at Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi - it's always a special time of year.
Campbell, the Library Manager, puts this down to being able to "celebrate our reo in different ways and encourage our community to join us in safe and welcoming spaces" and says that this year, the week-long celebration plans include poi making, weaving and waiata as, "it's not just about the words we use, it’s the things we do that connect us to culture and to one another".
The Ōpōtiki District Council also have internal activities for staff join in on, says Campbell, "things like kupu o te rā (word of the day) and my personal favourite, bingo”.
Through their web, media and social content, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori organisers at Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – the Māori Language Commission, encourage everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand, to get into the spirit of the week and celebrate te reo in their own way.
They also create a focus point for the week each year, with that of 2026 being Te Reo Towns - recognising the places and communities leading the way in the use of te reo Māori.
Ōpōtiki is one of those places, having become an official Aotearoa Reo Rua town in 2023 as part of the national reo rua (bilingualism) initiative supporting towns and cities across Aotearoa New Zealand to become bilingual centres.
The Te Reo towns focus encourages other towns too, to take up the challenge and increase the visibility of te reo Māori alongside English.
And while the library team do indeed "use te reo Māori every day, and celebrate reo rua because it’s a natural part of who we are as a community", it's more than this for Campbell - “one of the things I love most, is that here at Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi, te reo Māori is not only written and spoken, it’s visual too. Our building has beautiful stories incorporated right throughout. From our Tāhuhu (ridgepole) to our pou (pillars), to our artwork – there’s a visual language that speaks to our community each day".
Campbell notes too that they aren't language experts but rather "language lovers, and want everyone to come join us, have a laugh, give some words a go". She believes that te reo Māori is "a taonga that holds so much value for us all. And if you live in Aotearoa, it is your taonga too"
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori activities at Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi include;
Monday 14th: Poi Making Workshop.
Tuesday 15th: Ake Ake Ake Clothing Branding.
Wednesday 16th: Waiata Wenerei with Anita Kurei-Paruru.
Thursday 17th: Weaving Workshop with Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea.
Friday 18th: Kupu Scavenger Hunt.
Head to the Facebook event on the Ōpōtiki District Council Facebook page for more information on the activities.
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