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Celebrating 50 Years of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

14 September 2025

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A black background with white outline of a taniwha (Māori water monster) with a rainbow tongue, inside a rainbow coloured 50. Text reading Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Ake Ake Ake, Mō Ake Tonu Te Reo.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) is a chance to celebrate and grow te reo Māori across Aotearoa. This year we are proud to support 50 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, celebrating with the theme of Ake Ake Ake, A Forever Language. To learn more about Māori Language Week, which runs 14 – 20 September this year, check out reomaori.co.nz. 

If you’re blind, deafblind, or have low vision, finding the right reo resources can be tough — that’s where we come in. 

The Blind Low Vision NZ Library offers accessible books, health information, and learning materials in te reo Māori. From children’s stories to books of whakataukī (proverbs), our whare pukapuka (Library) is here to support your reo journey. It includes work from Scotty Morrison, Hēmi Kelly, and Shilo Kino, as well as Māori/English vocabulary books like Donovan Bixley’s board books for tamariki (children) with Braille overlay and tactile illustrations. 

Our resources are available year-round, not just during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. To access our fantastic materials, sign up to the Blind Low Vision NZ Library by calling our friendly Contact Centre on 0800 24 33 33 or by emailing the Library at library@blindlowvision.org.nz. For more information, visit the Accessible Library page of the Blind Low Vision NZ website, or call 0800 24 33 33 

Revisiting our Waiata  

In celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we’d also like to return to our organisation’s waiata, a song that encompasses Blind Low Vision NZ’s mission of empowering Kiwis who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision to live the life they choose.    

Te Waiata o Blind Low Vision NZ 

E ora i tō koiora 

I tohua e koe. 

Ō whakaaro, 

Tō tuhono 

Tō mana 

Ō hiahia e 

I tū atu i te 

Kanohi kitea 

Koiora taparere kore. 

Koiora taparere kore 

E ora i tō koiora i tohua e koe, Hi! 

 

English 

Live the life you choose 

Optimistic, connecting, empowering, aspiring 

Beyond vision loss 

Life without limits. 

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