E oho! Te Petihana Reo Māori 50 years on

In 1972 a group of Māori delivered Te Petihana Reo Māori (the Māori language petition) to Parliament, calling for the active recognition of te reo Māori. Join a discussion with Ngahiwi Apanui and Poia Rewi about the impact of this historic moment in Aotearoa’s history and what the state of te reo Māori is today.

The impact of Te Petihana Reo Māori
Fifty years ago kaumatua Te Ōuenuku Rene led a group, including rangatahi from Te Reo Māori Society and Ngā Tamatoa, to Parliament where they delivered Te Petihana Reo Māori (the Māori language petition). More than 30,000 people signed Te Petihana, which called for the active recognition of te reo Māori.

Join Ngahiwi Apanui, Chief Executive, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Poia Rewi, Tumu Whakarae ki Te Mātāwai as they reflect on the 50 years since Te Petihana Reo Māori was delivered to Parliament. How has te reo Māori been recognised, regenerated, and celebrated? What is their vision for the future of te reo Māori?

“I envision a nation that values te reo Māori. A nation that’s engaged in the revitalisation of te reo Māori. And a nation that speaks te reo Māori. Our challenge is to win the hearts and minds of Aotearoa for te reo Māori.” – Ngahiwi Apanui

Visit the exhibition, ‘Tōku reo, tōko ohooho’
Come along and see Te Petihana for yourself in our exhibition Tōku reo, tōko ohooho, showing now until Saturday 3 December.

About the speakers
Poia Rewi (Ngāti Manawa, Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whare, Tūwharetoa) is renowned for his work in Māori language revitalisation, whaikōrero and research. His main areas of research and teaching and his community engagement involve Māori language, culture, education and performing arts and exemplify the innate knowledge he brings to his role as Tumu Whakarae at Te Mātāwai since July 2020.

Ngahiwi Apanui (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, Te Whānau a-Apanui) has been a part of te reo Māori initiatives over the past 40-years that have helped shape Aotearoa. A te reo champion, musician, iwi radio pioneer and educationalist, under his leadership the commission launched the Kia kaha te reo Māori brand, created the first Māori Language Parades and most recently mobilised more than one million people as part of the world-leading, Māori Language Moment. While a student at Victoria University he was a part of many iconic initiatives including the WAI11 Māori Language Claim. After helping launch the tino rangatiratanga band Aotearoa, Ngahiwi headed home to Te Araroa to help set up Radio Ngāti Porou and went on to head the Māori Media Network. He also served as Deputy Director Māori at Ako Aotearoa for several years. A licensed translator since the 1990s, Ngahiwi served many years as a member of the NZ Music Commission. Ngahiwi is a native speaker of te reo Māori and has led Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori since 2015.