Kia ora koutou katoa!

Ventia has worked with many clients in New Zealand to support projects that connect communities. We currently have a team of more than 5,500 employees and subcontracting partners across New Zealand and so we are whakakake (proud) to be celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), an annual celebration held with the aim of inspiring people to speak the Māori language with confidence. 

Brief history of Māori Language Week  

The Māori language evovled in Aotearoa over several hundred years. There were many regional variations but in 1814, Māori became the dominant langauge in New Zealand. By the next year, the first book about the Māori langauge, A Korao No New Zealand, was published. 

In the 70s it was becoming very clear that very few people in New Zealand could speak Māori and many were worried that the language would become extinct. Over 30,000 people signed a petition which was presentated to parlaiment on 14 September. 1972. This day was recognised as Māori Language Day in 1975 and was the foundation for the beginnings of Māori Lanuage Week. 

Over the years many projects have supported awareness and education around the Māori language such as;

• 2018 - Google Māori launches
• 2015 - New Zealand's cricket team, the Black Caps, play first match under the name 'Aotearoa'
• 2016 - Disney's 'Moana' translated into Māori