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Maori Language Week at BestStart Newmarket
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Greetings to you all. At BestStart Newmarket we find many ways to embrace Te Reo Māori and naturally incorporate the language into our daily use. On the week of 9th September 2019, we celebrated the Te wiki o te reo Māori (Māori Language Week). Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is an important and fun opportunity for all of us to celebrate and learn Te reo Māori. We provided the children with the opportunities to learn and new phrase to assist them through their Te reo Māori learning. Tamariki were provided with a wide range of activities that they could discover the Māori culture daily. We practised on the language of colours and numbers with tamariki during mat times.
Tamariki ere also reminded of greetings in Te Reo such as, Kia ora/Hello, Mōrena/Good morning and Ka kite anō/See you soon/again. They also learnt a new waiata/song called Tapa toru, tapa wha: Tapa toru, tapa wha Tapa toru, tapa wha Tapa toru, tapa wha Porohita nui (To the tune of 'happy birthday to you')
They also showed a keen interest throughout the week in a special collection of books in Te Reo Māori and were very enthusiastic about giving any new words a go. We will continue to build on their use of Te Reo everyday. We will continue to find easy ways to introduce new language and cultural ideas to tamariki. While the use of Māori language in everyday life is a year round focus at BestStart Newmarket, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori is a good opportunity to reflect on our bicultural commitment and to celebrate such a beautiful language - so uniquely ours.