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Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026: 'Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language'

Posted by Zeya Sanchez on September 14, 2026 at 12:51pm

Māori Language Week 2026 Invites Everyone to Keep te Reo Alive — Forever

Māori Language Week, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, runs from 14 to 20 September 2026 with the theme 'Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language' and a focus on Te Reo Towns. Here is what it celebrates and simple ways anyone can take part.

A carved Māori meeting house (wharenui) with red detailing The wharenui, or meeting house, at Ōrongomai Marae in New Zealand. Photo: Tom Ackroyd, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 14 September 2026 · 4-minute read

"Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026" is among the top searches in New Zealand on Google Trends as the week begins, with schools, workplaces and councils preparing activities.

Key Details

  • Dates: Monday 14 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
  • Theme: "Ake, Ake, Ake – A Forever Language".
  • Focus: Te Reo Towns — encouraging communities to make the language visible and heard in everyday local life.
  • Led by: Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, the Māori Language Commission.

What the Theme Means

Ake carries the sense of "forever". Repeating it three times underlines the goal: te reo Māori should not just be celebrated for one week, but used and passed on for generations to come.

A Week With a Long History

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has been celebrated since 1975. It grew out of decades of work by Māori communities to revitalise the language, and te reo Māori became an official language of New Zealand under the Māori Language Act 1987.

Why Te Reo Towns?

Languages thrive when people hear and use them in ordinary places — at the café, the library, the sports club and the supermarket. The Te Reo Towns focus encourages councils, businesses and community groups to make te reo part of the local landscape through signs, greetings and events.

Easy Ways to Take Part

  • Start with greetings: Kia ora (hello, thank you), Mōrena (good morning), Ka kite anō (see you again).
  • Learn to pronounce place names in your area correctly.
  • Use te reo in emails — Tēnā koe to open, Ngā mihi to sign off.
  • Try a free app, podcast or community class and aim for a few new words each day.
  • Sing waiata at school, work or home.
  • Ask a colleague or friend who speaks te reo to share a phrase of the day.

Beyond the Week

The spirit of "a forever language" is about consistency. Small daily habits — a greeting, a song, a correctly pronounced name — add up to a language that is heard and valued all year.

More From New Zealand

The week follows Otago Polyfest 2026, where about 9,000 young people celebrated Māori and Pacific culture. Elsewhere, Australians marked R U OK? Day.

Related reading

Sources

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