Pacific language weeks - More than a celebration

Aotearoa New Zealand is a Pacific nation. We are in the Pacific; a considerable proportion of our population is of Pacific descent, and we have strong cultural and political connections with other island nations in the Pacific. Pacific peoples – tagata moana – are connected through whakapapa to tangata whenua.  

Pacific children carry the hopes and dreams of their families and communities. Both in consultation over the development of the Action Plan for Pacific Education 2020–2030 and in the development of the Pacific Languages Strategy. Pacific peoples have made clear the critical role of education is contributing to the revitalisation and maintenance of Pacific languages. Consequently, the Action Plan for Pacific Education articulates the vision that diverse Pacific learners and their families feel safe, valued, and equipped to achieve their education aspirations.  

The Pacific Language Weeks provide a context within which schools, communities, families, and students may collaborate to raise awareness of the diversity of Pacific languages and the importance of making them part of our daily lives. While each language is highlighted with a dedicated week, they are in fact part of a yearlong celebration of Pacific languages led by Pacific communities and supported by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. They form part of a global effort to sustain and revitalise heritage languages that is being led by the UNESCO through the Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Dates for Pacific language weeks  

The Ministry of Pacific Peoples | Pacific Language Weeks gives the focus and timing of each year’s Pacific Language Weeks. You’ll also find resources to help you get started on your celebration. 

Connections with National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP)

Participation in the Pacific language weeks provides a valuable context for addressing several of the objectives, priorities, and actions described in the National Education and Learning Priorities, particularly the requirements to: 

• Identify and respond to learners’ strengths, progress, and needs, including student and whānau aspirations 
• value the heritage languages spoken by Pacific learners/students, and provide opportunities to use and to build on them 
• work with whānau and Pacific families to identify and understand barriers that may prevent students from accessing, participating, or remaining engaged in schooling and work to address them 
• expect and support teachers/kaiako to build their understanding of students’ contexts, including languages spoken at home, histories, stories, and cultural values, to provide culturally responsive teaching. 

Connections with The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum  

Participation in the Pacific language weeks supports the curriculum principles of cultural diversity and inclusion, and provides an opportunity for students to explore the values of diversity and respect. Students who learn Pacific languages can achieve the learning or progress outcomes described in the learning languages and social sciences learning areas and make use of the key competencies, especially using language, symbols, and texts and relating to others. 

How can you get involved?  

While the language weeks are times of celebration, they have a deep intention: to honour the diverse heritage languages, identities, and cultures of Pacific learners and make them the foundation for learning at school. 

Partner with family and community knowledge-holders to promote and participate in the language weeks. 

• Learn about the pedagogical approaches that work best for Pacific learners   

Learn how to make Pacific heritage languages part of teaching and learning at school 

• Weave dual language texts into your celebration  
• Build upon talk as the foundation of all learning    

Explore the linguistic and cultural diversity of Pacific peoples  

• Use Pacific texts to engage and connect with learners and their families  
• Collaboratively explore texts on Pacific themes and topics   
• Understand and explore the deep connections between Māori, as tangata whenua, and Pacific peoples, as tagata moana  
• Encourage critical thought and action around language loss and revitalisation 

The list of strategies is not intended to be exhaustive – rather a helpful starter. See the useful resources suggested below to access some of the evidence about effective pedagogies for Pacific learners. 

Heritage languages in the English-medium classroom  

This video provides an opportunity to consider and discuss the evidence showing that, with the right teaching approaches, Pasifika languages can support learning success in English-medium schools. Teachers who value and share the languages that Pacific learners bring with them into the classroom and deliberately build their English language skills help their Pacific learners to succeed. 

Useful resources for teaching and learning 

The resources presented here are informed by the wisdom and advice of Pacific learners, families, teachers, and researchers. There are also some resources intended to help you gain insight into the knowledge and perspectives of Pacific peoples. They will help in the construction of local curriculum opportunities that reflect the aspirations, needs, interests, and aspirations of Pacific people in your community. You can find more useful resources on each of the language week pages.  

Teaching and learning resources 

Teaching stories: The Tapasā website has a library of videos to support and illustrate "what works" when teaching Pacific learners. 

ESOL Online: hosts a collection of resources intended to help you understand and respond to the strengths and needs of your English language learners, making their heritage languages a valued part of learning at school.  

Inclusive Education | Supporting Pacific learners: This guide provides inclusive teaching and learning strategies with a focus on supporting learners. 

Language Enhancing the Achievement of Pacific Learners (LEAP): A professional learning resource developed for teachers working in mainstream New Zealand classrooms with bilingual Pacific learners. It reflects the fact that bilingual students learn better when they can use their first or home language at school. 

Tapasā: Cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners (Ministry of Education, 2018): describes three turu (interwoven sets of competencies) that explain what teachers and school leaders need to know and do if they are to offer culturally responsive teaching to Pacific learners: 

• Turu 1: Identities, languages, and cultures: Demonstrate awareness of the diverse and ethnic-specific identities, languages, and cultures of Pacific learners. 
• Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours: Establishes and maintains collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours that enhance learning and wellbeing for Pacific learners. 
• Turu 3: Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners: Implements pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pacific learners. 

Tapasā: offers an array of resources, tools, and support to help you and your colleagues grow your competencies as teachers of Pacific learners.  

Pasifika poetry: A celebration of the poetry of tagata o te moana nui, the peoples of the Pacific, on the New Zealand electronic poetry centre website. 

digitalpasifik.org: This site is part of the Pacific Virtual Museum project. It aims to empower people in and of the Pacific Islands, enabling them to explore, discover, and view thousands of items held in museums, libraries, galleries, and collections around the world and to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of the Pacific. It includes images, objects, video, audio, text, and maps. 

Your museum Pacific Language Weeks: Auckland Museum have a strong Pacific dimension called Teu Le Vā. Part of this is to work closely with New Zealand’s Pacific communities to maintain and promote heritage languages. Their site provides online access to resources for all Pacific languages. 

Pacific knowledge and perspectives 

Coconet.tv is a virtual island homeland that provides opportunities for Pacific peoples to share, chat, and upload their experiences of living the Pacific way. 

Pacific Media Network provides a hub for Pacific radio stations, podcasts, videos, and articles. Its mission is to "celebrate the Pacific spirit".  

Pasefika Proud is a strengths-based, community led approach to social change. It deals with serious issues around family violence and would need to be used with care. However, using it in the affirmative way that is intended, would open access to valuable cultural knowledge. 

RNZ Pacific presents and curates news and stories from across the Pacific.  

Tagata Pasifika has ensured Pacific peoples have had a presence on television in New Zealand since 1987. Consequently, its website includes a considerable body of content, including on the Pacific language weeks.