Celebrating the world’s first-ever Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori

Across Rēkohu, mainland Aotearoa and beyond, communities came together to celebrate ta rē Moriori with houkawe (pride), curiosity, and ka koa (joy). It was inspiring to see our language embraced in so many spaces, by so many people, in so many different ways.

Here on Rēkohu, we began the wik’ in the best possible way, with morning rongo and karakī at Kōpinga Marae, before welcoming our rangata matua in for a beautiful shared kei.

On teru ra (day two), Te One School brought wonderful energy to Kōpinga. Students enjoyed rongo with Tiriana Smith, followed by language activities, colouring pages, delicious kei, and an ice cream to finish.

Toru ra (day three) saw our operations team in Kaingaroa supporting the local inter-school cross country, where ta rē Moriori was proudly on display. Kaingaroa School truly championed the tchipangǎ, with certificates and signs in ta rē Moriori.

On tewha ra (day four), our smallest tchimirik’ filled Kōpinga Marae with laughter, messy play, and rongo in ta rē Moriori. Our timiti were also treated to a special tupukapuka reading with Kate Preece and her trilingual children’s books.

To keep the momentum going on terima ra (day five), athletics day got an exciting upgrade. Our Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori tees finally arrived after weeks of Rēkohu misty-sun delays. Every tchimirik’ received a fresh tee and a kete miheke (taumaha to Te Mātāwai for the totes), and it was takina seeing them worn proudly around the track.

Teono ra (day six) brought sunshine, slip ’n’ slides, and shared kei to Kōpinga. Our final in-person celebration captured the mouri of Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori: hokomenetai, iaroha, and coming together to keep our rē alive.

Throughout the wik’, we shared online resources that made it easy for people to get involved, sparking conversations and creating moments of connection in homes, schools, and workplaces.

One of the most powerful highlights was seeing ta rē Moriori celebrated in public spaces and national media. From presentations and talks to media interviews, hearing our language spoken proudly and confidently honoured our karāpuna and affirmed ta rē Moriori as a living, thriving miheke. We are also deeply proud of those who hosted wānanga across mainland Aotearoa, giving our off-island hūnau meaningful opportunities to connect and learn together.

This wik’ was a continuation of the ongoing mahi happening to revitalise ta rē Moriori. Every kupu spoken, every post shared, and every conversation started helps build momentum. Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori showed what is possible when we come together with positivity and purpose.

To everyone who participated, shared, taught, learned, posted, wore their tees, attended events, or quietly practised at home: taumaha. Your support keeps our rē strong and our culture visible.

We can’t wait to build on this energy in 2026.

If you’d like to celebrate Ta Wik’ a Ta Rē Moriori, we have some great resources available which you can access here.