Speaking our language

Far North District Council is aiming to boost the use of te reo Māori within the organisation by 2025.

At its council meeting on Thursday (21 September), elected members agreed to the recommendations from the Te Kuaka – Te Ao Māori committee to introduce a te reo and tikanga policy.

One key aim is to have 100 per cent of council staff achieving the basic level one course in te reo Māori by 2025.

Speaking in support of adopting the policy, Councillor Tāmati Rākena addressed the council in te reo.  

[Translated] “We, the Far North District Council, stand as a leader and example for all other councils throughout Aotearoa so that they can see how successful the Far North is,” he said. “We hope that the Māori language will continue to grow, that the various strands that enable us to weave the cloak vitality, to secure a safe future and our Māori world thrives.”

The policy allows the council to provide a framework for using te reo internally and externally. It will work based on “owning it” in that everyone has a role to play to help the council achieve its goal.

Staff will be encouraged to complete te reo training that’s available internally and to use te reo greetings through personal interactions, phone calls, and emails.

Publications and resources will be translated bilingually where Māori are the primary audience, and all other publications will aim to use bilingual headings for documents such as the Annual Plan and Annual Report. The council will engage with mana whenua partners in providing te reo names for key projects they are involved in.

FNDC will also work with other councils in Aotearoa to share approaches and models for growing te reo in local government.

Photo: The use of te reo Māori and tikanga will be increased at Far North District Council.