It's currently Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, or Māori Language Week: an annual initiative to encourage more New Zealanders to incorporate te reo into their day-to-day lives.
As one of Aotearoa's official languages, te reo Māori is spoken by all 98 iwi across the country and by 2040, the current Labour government hopes to have one million Kiwis speaking basic te reo, which was guaranteed as taonga, or treasure, under the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) in 1986.
Meanwhile, Māori Language Week celebrates the presentation of the Māori Language Petition to Parliament on September 14, 1972, and has been marked every year since 1975.
With that being said, this week (September 11-September 18) is the perfect time to practice your te reo. If you're a beginner, there are plenty of resources available online that can help you master a few simple phrases to incorporate into your day-to-day vernacular: such as ordering your coffee (kawhe).
This week, why not try slipping a few words of te reo into your daily drink order? The handy guide below is a good point of reference although, of course, if you frequent the likes of Starbucks and your beverage of choice is a vanilla-caramel-frappuccino-with-oat-milk-and-an-extra-shot, it might be a little more difficult.
The basic sentence structure is simple: begin your request with 'he' (can I have a...), followed by your drink of choice, and end with 'koa', or please - manners matter!
If a mocha is your go-to, you'll be pleased to know the te reo translation is almost identical: moka. Cappuccino is also pretty similar - kaputino - and latte is rate, with the same 'e' sound. Or, if you're after an americano, it's simply amerikano.
If you're taking it easy on the caffeine, try a kaputī (cup of tea), tī hīoi (peppermint tea), or tiakarete wera (hot chocolate).
Once you've mastered the basics, you might want to try getting a little fancy with some additions: for example, try ordering your kawhe with a side of miraka, or milk. If you want hot water with your pango roa (short black), it's as simple as wai wera.
If you're not a dairy drinker, you can also order almond, coconut, and soy milk with the guide provided.
For the size (rahi), a small is paku, a medium is waenga, and a large is nui. Takeaway? Hei heri atu.
And if you want to bulk out the interaction a little more, tēnā koe means both 'hello' and 'thank you', ka kite anō is 'see you later', and if it was a bloody good brew, you might exclaim 'namunamua!' (Delicious!)
There are further te reo translations provided in the Massey University resource below.
Karawhiua, e hoa mā!
