Petition to introduce te reo Māori in schools, 1972, Archives Reference: ABGX 16127 W4731 Box 152/ 1972/42
Te 50 tau o te Petihana mō te reo Māori
I te 14 o Hepetema 1972, i kawea e ngā māngai o Ngā Tamatoa me Te Rōpū Reo Māori te petihana reo Māori, neke atu i te 30,000 ngā waitohu e mau ana i runga, ki te Pāremata. I tono te petihana kia whakamanatia te reo Māori i Aotearoa, ā, kia whakaakona te reo i roto i ngā kura.
Ko 2022 te ekenga ki te 50 tau o tēnei kaupapa hira, e mōhiotia nuitia ana ko te tīmatanga o te whakarauoratanga nui o te reo Māori. Nō taua tau hoki i tū te Rā Reo Māori tuatahi, ā, ka whakatōroatia hei Wiki o te Reo Māori i te 1975.
Ko Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora (Te Mātāwai me Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) te tira e ārahi ana i te whakanuitanga o tēnei rā huritau whakahirahira.
He whānui ngā kaupapa kua whakaritea hei te 2022, e whai wāhi mai ai ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa ki te huritao ki te tūāoma o te reo me āna kaikōrero.
Ngā rauemi kōrero tuku iho
Tūhuratia ngā wero me ngā manahautanga o te reo Māori i runga i ngā pae tukutuku a te Manatū Taonga:
- Pānuitia te tāurunga o Te mana o te reo Māori i Te Tai | Ngā Kōrero Whakataunga Tiriti
- Rapua ngā kōrero hītori o te reo Māori i Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Ngā rauemi mātauranga
E hiahia ana koe ki te ako (te whakaako rānei) i te reo Māori? Tirohia ēnei rauemi mātauranga:
- Tūhuratia ngā rauemi Ako a Te Taura Whiri
- Tīkina ake ngā rauemi mātauranga o Te Mana o te Reo Māori i Te Tai
- Whakaharatautia ngā kupu 100 e tika ana me mōhio ia tangata o Aotearoa a NZHistory
50th anniversary of the Māori language petition
On 14 September 1972 representatives of Ngā Tamatoa and Te Rōpū Reo Māori the Te Reo Māori Society delivered the Māori language petition, with over 30,000 signatures, to Parliament. The petition asked for active recognition of te reo Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, and for the language to be taught in schools.
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of this important moment, which is often seen as the starting point for a significant revitalisation of te reo Māori. Later in 1972 the first Māori Language Day was held, extending to Māori Language Week in 1975.
Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora (including Te Mātāwai and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) led the national commemoration of this significant anniversary with a public event at Parliament on 14 September. The petition was also exhibited at National Library from 14 September to 3 December 2022.
A range of activities were organised in 2022, offering all New Zealanders the opportunity to reflect on the journey of te reo and its speakers.
Historical resources
Explore the challenges and triumphs of te reo Māori on Manatū Taonga’s websites:
- Read the Te mana o te reo Māori entry on Te Tai | Treaty Settlement Stories
- Find out about the history of te reo Māori on Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Education resources
Interested in learning (or teaching) te reo Māori? Check out these education resources:
Updated on 9th January 2023