Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku māpihi maurea | My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.
The theme this year is ‘Ake ake ake – A Forever Language’. This embodies the resilience and endurance of the language and celebrates the commitment of New Zealanders to embrace and learn te reo Māori well into the future.
Why not learn a waiata to support your reo journey. Waiata Māori have some short waiata with lyrics to help you practise your reo.
Pepeha is a formal structured way of introducing yourself within the Māori world by locating yourself according to important landmarks and the people you descend from. Research your own landmarks and descent profile so you can develop your own profile. This helps to foster whakawhanaungatanga – building connections.
In celebration of our language and our Ara values
• Hono - Connect
• Hihiri - Inspire
• Aroha – Respect
Tuhi - Prepare your pepeha
Use these downloadable resources to get started on your pepeha.
#HonoChallenge pepeha template
#HonoChallenge pepeha cheatsheet
And gain further inspiration from Mariam in the following video.
Mariam Arif is a student with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and teaches us how to do a mihi and pepeha for Non-Māori. She is learning te reo Māori and demonstrates not only a pepeha (2.43 mins) but starts with a greeting and finishes with a whakatauki (proverb)
Some great sources for reo Māori practise include: