JOIN US IN CELEBRATING Ta wik’ a ta rē moriori

Moriori Language Week is back and even bigger! kicking off Monday 12 October 2026, The week will be filled with festivities across the motchu and beyond, honouring and revitalising ta rē Moriori, the indigenous language of Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands).

Throughout the week, people will have the chance to experience the richness of Moriori culture through ta rē (language) lessons, tikane Moriori (cultural practices), rongo (song), and storytelling. From local events on Rēkohu to digital campaigns lighting up social media, the tchipangă (cause) will showcase Moriori resilience and identity, and invite all New Zealanders to take part.

“Moriori have had to relearn our language following generations of hardship, colonisation, and misrepresentation. By establishing Moriori Language Week, we’re ensuring ta rē Moriori is revived, spoken, and celebrated — whether or not it has official recognition,” said Levi Lanauze, Interim CEO of Hokotehi Moriori Trust.

Moriori Language Week joins the vibrant family of Māori and Pacific language weeks across the country, standing in solidarity with the wider movement to protect and celebrate indigenous languages.

Bring Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori To your town!

Awhi ta rē! 

This Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori, we want to awhi the communities helping keep our rē alive, thriving and heard!

We’re offering small grants of up to $2,000 to tokona community-led ta rē initiatives that bring the week to life, get people involved and create more opportunities to see, hear and speak ta rē Moriori.

Whether it’s a wānanga, community kei, bilingual shopfronts, or another takina idea of your own, we want to help you make it happen.

You can check the criteria and apply below.

APPLY NOW

NEW TUPUKAPA

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NEW TUPUKAPA 〰️

We are thrilled to bring you Tupukapuka Mahi - A Moriori language activity book

Download Tupukapuka

Say kīoranga to our first bumper activity tupukapuka – a big, bright and seriously fun new way to get stuck into ta rē Moriori!

Created especially for Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori, this colourful activity book is packed with tukupu, simple lessons, puzzles, word finds and heaps more to keep curious minds busy while getting ta rē off the page and into everyday life.

Learn how to say hello, talk about how you’re feeling, count, name colours, seasons, weather, your hūnau and the world around you – then put your new tukupu to work through more than 140 pages of activities designed for learning through doing, playing and having a go. 

Best of all, Tupukapuka Mahi is completely free to download digitally! Grab the full book and work your way through it, or pick and choose what you want to explore – every activity is also available as an individual download, making it easy to print a page for home or Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori celebrations.

Grab your pencils, gather the hūnau and dive in. Takina!

This tupukapuka is proudly supported by Te Mātāwai – Kia ūkaipō anō te reo.

DOWNLOAD TUPUKAPUKA
DOWNLOAD ACTIVITIES ONLY

TA WIK’ A TA RĒ Moriori RESOURCES

We have loads of digitally downloadable resources to tokona your Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori celebrations. Download them on the links below