Upfront
TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI Māori Langugage Week – Sept 12–18
In this issue of Diabetes Wellness, we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. TE REO MĀORI IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
In 1986, te reo Māori was guaranteed as a taonga (treasure), under the Treaty of Waitangi and was made an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand in 1987. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) was also established in the same year to promote te reo Māori as a living language.
TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI
is government sponsored. It aims to inspire New Zealanders to speak the Māori language proudly.
CELEBRATING TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been celebrated every year since 1975, to commemorate the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition to parliament on 14 September. Last year was the 50-year celebration of the petition being presented. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is part of a broad Māori language revival movement and raises public awareness for the promotion and celebration of Māori language learning and usage. This year Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is being celebrated from 12 to 18 September. To find out more about what is planned and how you can celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in your own special way, check out www.reomaori.co.nz/resources. TE REO MĀORI AND DIABETES
The appropriate and correct use of all languages is important for us when working with diverse communities. Diabetes NZ wants to elevate te reo Māori and its significance for Māori and all of Aotearoa New Zealand.
In this issue, leading up to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we will start offering a few kupu (words) and will build our vocabulary over time. Some of these words you might have seen in Diabetes Wellness, such as Hauora Kaimahi, which is our Diabetes Community Coordinator. In this issue, we will start looking at kupu related to diabetes. Our first kupu is the te reo Māori translation for Diabetes – Mate Huka (Mar-teh Hu-kar). Another kupu is Ora (Or-rah), meaning to be alive, well, safe, cured, recovered, healthy, fit, healed.
You probably know kia ora. Kia ora is more than just ‘hello’ because it references life and health. By using, ‘kia’, it changes ‘ora’ from a noun to a verb, so rather than ‘alive’ it is ‘living’. So, when you say kia ora to someone, you are wishing them good health. As well as being used as a greeting, kia ora is also a general expression of appreciation, such as ‘thank you’. Other kupu that include ‘ora’: Hauora (Hoe-or-rah) be fit, well, healthy, vigorous, in good spirits. Hauora tinana (Hoe-or-rah tee-nar-nar) physical health and wellbeing Hauora hinengaro (Hoe-or-rah hee-neh-ngar-raw) mental health and wellbeing Hauora wairua (Hoe-or-rah why-roo-ar) spiritual health and wellbeing Hauora kare ā-roto (Hoe-or-rah kar-reh ah raw-tor) emotional health and wellbeing TE REO MĀORI INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Diabetes NZ has a number of resources available in te reo Māori for you to download from our website: www.diabetes.org.nz. At www.reomaori.co.nz/resources you’ll find posters, images, and phrase booklets to use at home and in the office. A great site to watch a video of the history and effort to revitalise te reo Māori is at www.storiesoftereo.nz. There are also several mobile apps available for all levels of learning te reo Māori.
Ngā mihi nui (many thanks) to Tio Taiaki (Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Āti Hau Nui-ā-Pāpārangi) Diabetes NZ Board Trustee. DIABETES WELLNESS | Spring 2023
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