Cook Islands Language Week

Over 80,000 people of Cook Islands Māori descent live in New Zealand, a number that is rapidly growing, due to both migration and a high birth rate. This means that there is a good chance that you will have some Kuki Airani speakers in your school. Encourage those learners to be experts and validate their expertise in front of other students. Support them to speak Kuki Airani Māori to each other and to others in the class. Work collaboratively with them, their families, and others in the community to build your own knowledge of Kuki Airani and to design activities around the language and culture of the Cook Islands.   

Adult learners learning Cook Islands Māori reo in Porirua: See how adults of Cook Islands descent are learning Cook Islands Māori reo so they can pass on the knowledge to their own children. 

Cook Islands Language Week Facebook group: Join this group for news, resources, and events. You could share the celebration of Cook Islands language here, on a school blog, or maybe even with a school in the Cook Islands. 

Cook Islands Language Week resource Te ’Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ’Āirani: This resource was designed by Te Papa Tongarewa with support from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. It offers information and activities to support your participation in Cook Islands Māori Language Week. These include pronunciation tips, everyday phrases, stories, and songs.  

Cook Islands Language Week in Tokoroa – Tokoroa High School’s Puna Vai Ora Market Day: This is just one in a series of YouTube videos that show the way the whole Tokoroa community, led by schools and ECE providers, joined in celebrating the languages of the Cook Islands. From a market to a movie night, a whole range of events were planned that could also take place in your community. 

Keeping the language alive: Listen to teachers from a variety of settings and cultural backgrounds share why Pacific language weeks are so important to them and how they capitalise on local expertise to celebrate the language weeks. Use the reflections on the video page to think about how you embrace and keep Pacific languages alive and thriving in your classroom. 

Ministry for Pacific Peoples Facebook page: The Ministry’s Facebook page provides up-to-date information on what is happening each year.   

Ministry for Pacific Peoples regional offices: A range of events take place across New Zealand to promote the importance of the Cook Islands language, culture, and heritage. Contact the regional offices of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples to find out what's on near you. 

Ministry for Pacific Peoples website: Download a range of resources to promote Te ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kuki Airani in your school community.  

Pacific learners bring a wealth of knowledge 

Teokotai Tarai, HOD Languages, Teacher of Cook Islands Māori Language, explains that Pasifika learners come to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge and experiences that provide a platform for improving learner engagement and success.  

See Materials that come with this resource to download Te Kaveinga o Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani - The Cook Islands Māori Language Guidelines (.pdf).

• Use Te Kaveinga o Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Ārani – The Cook Islands Māori Language Guidelines (download) together with Te Whāriki and The New Zealand Curriculum. These guidelines benefit all learners of Cook Islands Māori language and culture, irrespective of their age or learning environment. The guide offers suggestions for teaching and learning supporting effective communication in te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani. 

See Materials that come with this resource to download I-E-Ko-Ko An Introduction to Cook Islands Māori (.pdf).

• This is a multi-media resource that supports the teaching and learning of Cook Islands Māori as an additional language at years 7–10. You do not need to be able to speak Cook Islands Māori or know how to teach languages to use this resource. 

Cook Islands Māori online storybooks I-E-Ko-Ko! An Introduction to Cook Islands Māori (Ministry of Education, 2008) was accompanied by a set of storybooks that can be used by students at any age or level. There is also teacher support material with guidance on using these books in the classroom. During Cook Islands Language Week you might: 

• Get students to try to describe the main parts of the story, using Cook Islands Māori language phrases 
• ask Cook Islands Māori speakers to come into the school and read to the children at lunchtime, in the classroom, or at an assembly. 

You don’t need to be a speaker of Cook Islands Māori to make dual language texts the focus of reading, discussion, and activity throughout Cook Islands Māori Language Week. Activities might include supporting students to read some of these texts with younger children at home, school, or in a community setting, like an early learning centre. There could also be time for games and sharing food and music. 

Te Reo Māori Kūki ’Airani dual language picture books: These flipbooks are part of a set of print and online resources to support the early language and literacy learning of Pacific children. They include flipbooks, family support material, online audio support in Pacific languages and English, and videos of kaiako and families using the books. 

Cook Islands Māori Pasifika dual language books: These books are part of a set designed to support the early language and literacy learning of Pasifika new entrant students in English-medium classrooms. Many of them are available as PDFs; all are available as MP3 audio files; and they come with teacher and parent support material. 

We know that talk is the foundation of all learning, and so it is important to create an environment in which:

• speakers of Cook Islands Māori feel comfortable to use their language, and where others feel supported to give it a try
• everybody feels safe to share, explore, and debate information and ideas about Cook Islands Māori and its place in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If learners or families at your school are speakers of Cook Islands Māori, you could invite them to model and teach their language. However, be careful not to make assumptions about their language knowledge and use. They may not know their heritage languages or may not feel confident or comfortable in speaking them.

If you are a speaker of Cook Islands Māori, incorporate it into your interactions with students. If you are not, model your willingness to listen and to attempt new words and phrases.

Cook Islands Māori greetings: This video from Christchurch City Libraries encourages you to listen to, and speak in, the Cook Islands Māori language.

Cook Island Māori language games: Digital Dialect gives free access to a range of language learning games, vocabulary builders, numbers, and quizzes.

Simple Cook Islands words and phrases: This is a downloadable PDF from the Human Rights Commission website.

Cook Islands Māori Language Cards: Use these cards as a starting point for learning Cook Islands Māori. The cards include a pronunciation guide, the alphabet, everyday phrases, a short prayer, and a hymn.

Apps and online dictionaries

• Talanoa Mai app: Talanoa Mai is an interactive learning resource that features the ability to toggle between languages, pronunciation support, and audio for prayers and songs. You can download if from Google Play or Apple from this site.
• Dictionary of Cook Islands languages: The online Dictionary of Cook Islands Languages is aimed at providing quick access for learners and speakers of the languages of the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands languages app is the companion to the online Dictionary of Cook Islands Languages. You can download if from Google Play or Apple from this site.

The Cook Islands is made up of 15 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the largest being Rarotonga. The Cook Islands community is the second largest Pacific ethnic group in New Zealand, making up 20% of the Pacific population (Census 2013). In the 2018 New Zealand census, 80,532 people identified as Cook Island Māori.  

Three distinct Polynesian languages are spoken in the Cook Islands. 

• Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language with several dialects. It is part of a language family that includes New Zealand Māori and the languages of Hawai‘i and Tahiti. 
• Pukapuka is a Western Polynesian language, belonging to the same language family as the languages of Sāmoa, Tuvalu, and Tokelau. 
• Palmerston Island has its own unique and distinctive mixture of Cook Islands Māori and English. 

Cook Islands Māori has several distinct dialects. Speakers of one dialect can understand the others. The dialects are: 

• Aitutaki 
• Ātiu, Ma‘uke, and Miti‘āro (Ngāpūtoru) 
• Mangaia 
• Manihiki and Rakahanga 
• Rarotonga 
• Tongareva (Penrhyn). 

As part of your celebration, learners could learn about the diversity of the Cook Islands language. Discuss why there are so many different dialects in a small population. (Clue – look at a map!) This might lead into an inquiry into how many languages and dialects are spoken in your community. You could divide the class into dialect groups and challenge them to find out as much as they can about speaking that dialect before the week is over.  

You and your learners could co-design a way to acknowledge the different dialects and become familiar with them. For example, you could write the different names for the same objects on signage, or you could dedicate one day of the week to learning words from different areas, for example: 

• Monday: Rarotonga 
• Tuesday: Aitutaki 
• Wednesday: Mangaia 
• Thursday: Ngā Pū Toru  
• Friday: Manihiki and Rakahanga  
• Saturday: Tongaleva  
• Sunday: Pukapuka and Nassau.  

It is important to note the multiple ways in which people express themselves. The suggestions here include opportunities for you and your learners to explore traditional and contemporary artworks and artefacts and discuss what they say about the culture and heritage of Cook Islands Māori people. 

Being a Cook Islander  

The participants in this video talk about what it is to be a Cook Islander. They emphasise the diversity of Pacific Islands people and the fact that ‘one size’ does not ‘fit all’.  Use the reflections on the video page to consider the best ways to meet the needs of Cook Islands Māori learners and whānau at your school.   

2018 New Zealand census: New Zealand’s Census results provide a wealth of information, including about patterns of language use in Aotearoa New Zealand. They show that in 2018, only 18.3% of Cook Islands Māori people in New Zealand spoke two languages, down from 18.7% in 2013. Older people are more likely to speak more than one language.  Explore the data further. For example, you might like to consider the issues of language loss and the importance of encouraging older people to share their expertise with younger people. 

Cook Islands Language Week: Auckland War Memorial Museum shares Cook Islands items from its Natural History and Documentary Heritage collections, stories of service from the Online Cenotaph, and a video to teach you simple words and phrases in Cook Islands Māori. 

'Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani - Cook Islands Language Week: Christchurch City Council’s library staff have assembled a set of resources for learning about Cook Islands language and culture. There is information about Cook Islands’ crafts and you can listen to Cook Islands Māori greetings. 

Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani Cook Islands Language Week: Celebrate Cook Islands culture by exploring a set of maps, letters, old government records, journals, and research put together by the University of Auckland Library team. 

Pacific arts in New Zealand: This story on Te Ara explores the work of Pacific artists who have had a significant impact in New Zealand. Students can learn about and respond to art by people who practice a range of art forms, including writers, visual artists, musicians, dancers, and theatre practitioners. As part of language week, they might engage with local artists and perhaps have a go at creating their own work of arts that says something about their relationship to the Pacific.  

Pasifika Festival: Even if you can’t attend Auckland’s annual festival in person, the website offers a feast of opportunities for learning about the ways Pacific peoples share their histories, knowledge, creativity, and leadership 

Tales from Te Papa is a set of curriculum teaching resources based upon artefacts from the museum’s collection. What messages do the artefacts in these examples convey? 

• Pisupo lua afe (Corned Beef 2000): This example features Michel Tuffery’s culture of a cow made from corned beef tins. 
• Stories Sewn in Quilts: Learn about the important role of tivaevae in the narrative tradition of the Cook Islands. 

TivaevaeKarakara.pdf (nzmaths.co.nz):  Explore the symmetry of tivaevae. 

Topic Explorer - Cook Islands | Services to Schools (natlib.govt.nz) Explore information about the Cook Islands’ Polynesian history, its geology, culture, people, and agriculture, and its relationship with New Zealand. 

Texts written by Pacific people and in Pacific languages are a great way to connect with Pacific people. You can model your own interest and enthusiasm for this learning by working with Pacific knowledge-holders, including students, to make these part of everyone’s learning.  

Auckland Council Libraries Pacific book lists: Auckland’s library service has created lists of books by Pacific writers and on Pacific themes and topics. Other libraries do the same. 

National Library lending service: The National Library can help you access suitable texts. 

Pasifika Books to Note: Coconet.TV shares some texts by Pacific writers and illustrators. 

The New Zealand Pacific Picture Book Collection: This collection was created by a group of librarians who wanted to raise teachers’ awareness of picture books that carry Pacific knowledge and world views. It includes suggested activities for making the books part of curriculum learning. The collection is now quite old but includes some treasured favourites. 

Pasifika poetry includes poems by people of Cook Islands Māori descent.  You might make poetry part of your week, engaging with poems by Cooks Islands poets and writing your own. Or you might try other art forms that use language, such as plays or action songs. These might become part of a performance for the people who have supported you to plan the week. 

A great way to get your learners involved in Te ‘Epetoma o te reo Māori Kuki Airani is to incorporate texts on Cooks Islands Māori topics and themes within your teaching and learning programme. This might be a brief, targeted learning experience, or might be part of a bigger enquiry into significant themes and topics, such as migration, navigation, climate change, or colonisation. Either way, you and the students might also draw upon the knowledge and perspectives of community members. 

The Instructional Series offers a range of potential texts, accompanied by teacher support material. For example: 

• The School Journal includes articles such as Tivaevae, by Teremoana Hodges, and stories such as Star-gazing, by Maria Samuela 
• the Connected item on Kaitiakitanga includes "Ra‘ui: Giving it Back to the Gods", an article by Monica Evans. 

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories: Our stories: Pacific peoples: This resource provides some examples of texts in the Instructional Series of Pacific histories, with a link to the KNOW element in the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum. 

Migration

Learn about Kuki Airani settlement to Aotearoa New Zealand through the following resources: 

• Cook Islands Migration Story  
• Cook Islanders Te Ara | The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand Island  

Your learners could interview Pacific peoples in your community whose families have also migrated here to find out: 

• when and why their families moved to Aotearoa New Zealand  
• how the stories are similar and different to each other. 

Aotearoa NZ’s Histories: Connections across the Pacific: This resource shows how four texts from the School Journal series can be used to support learning in the context of whakapapa me te whanaungatanga through the topic of voyaging. 

Cook Islands Language Week: Te reo Māori could be a waka to te reo Kūki ‘Āirani (Sapeer Mayron, August 4, 2022): This article explains that while very few Kūki ‘Āirani in Aotearoa can speak their language, some have learnt the reo Māori of the whenua they live on today and built a foundation upon which to learn their own reo. While the article offers possibilities, it also invites critical thinking, with one of the interviewees raising the risk of tauiwi taking class spaces from tangata whenua. 

Digital Pasifik aims to empower people in and of the Pacific Islands by enabling them to see, discover, and explore items of digitised cultural heritage that are held in collections around the world. These items provide a rich resource for delving deep into the diverse cultural heritage of specific nations and for examining similarities and differences across multiple nations.   

NZ Pacific Picture Book Collection: Watercress Tuna and the Children of Champion Street: Patricia Grace features four Pacific cultures in this story about a tuna that has a magic throat and gives gifts to children – Tokelauan, Māori, Cook Islands Māori, and Samoan. Suggested activities help draw out the similarities and differences between these four cultures. 

The Long Pause: This Connected item explores the mystery of the long pause between the two major periods of Pacific migration. It provides an opportunity to think about some of the connections between Māori and Pacific peoples, particularly in terms of whakapapa and navigation.   

Tuia Mātauranga: Tuia Mātauranga is a programme developed by the Ministry of Education to support teaching and learning about our dual heritage and shared future. It highlights local people, places, and events that have helped shape our nation’s histories. It has four main topics: voyaging, first encounters, Aotearoa New Zealand histories, and the legacy of learning. 

Potential language loss is an issue facing many New Zealand based Pacific communities. Work with your learners to understand the issues around language loss and revitalisation and encourage them to consider what action they can take to make a positive difference. 

Use questions such as the following to prompt discussion about the purpose of the language weeks and what makes it so important to sustain the heritage languages of the Pacific. 

• Why is it important for all New Zealanders to celebrate and learn Kuki Airani? 
• What benefits will this bring to New Zealanders of Cook Islands descent?  
• How can we share what we have learned about Cook Islands language and culture with the wider community?    

One of the beliefs driving the Pacific Language Weeks, Te Wiki o te reo Māori, and other initiatives to value and sustain our heritage languages is that health and wellbeing improve as learners reclaim their language, culture, and identity. You and your learners, their families, and community members might include sources such as those below within a discussion about the connections between language, culture, health, and wellbeing: 

Child and Youth Wellbeing: Languages: One of the indicators for the Child and Youth Wellbeing looks at the opportunities children have to speak and understand the language of their ethnic or cultural group. 

The power of language (Education Gazette, July 30, 2018): AUT Lecturer Dr Sally Akevai (Ake) Nicholas has personal and empirical evidence of the connection between language and wellbeing. 

New phone app to help save Cook Islands Māori language (13 April 2017, RNZ): This item is about the release of a mobile phone application to help save the Cook Islands Māori language. After listening, you and your students might discuss the statement, "The health of a people is determined by the health of their language."