Whāngaia te reo Māori kia tipu | Supporting the growth of te reo Māori

As the second most widely spoken language in our country, te reo Māori plays a huge and growing role in communications in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

We’re lucky to work with a number of clients who are dedicated to developing their own teams’ proficiency in this taonga, and it’s a privilege to work with local experts along the way. 

This year, we worked with Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori to install new, permanent bilingual signage across their complex. 

In a joint effort, Great Scott communications advisor and reo Māori teacher, Solomona Davis, and kaiwhakamāori | translator Regan Stokes, translated signage across the pools in order to increase the visibility and accessibility of te reo Māori.  

The project aimed not only to support and encourage speakers of te reo Māori, but also to encourage more widespread proficiency in te reo Māori and to ‘set the bar’ for their own team, in what they hope to be a long-term learning journey.  

The announcement of the new signage was met with positive comments across Hanmer Springs’ social media pages.  

The project was paired with an introductory lesson for the team at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa. Taught by Solomona, the lesson covered pronunciation, local place names and whakataukī | proverbs chosen to relate to the team’s learning journey. 

As another part of the Māori Language Week campaign, Great Scott’s video team worked with to create a series of social media reels encouraging pool visitors to kōrero Māori. 

Each of the reels starred staff practising reo Māori phrases related to their mahi at the Pools. The videos included bilingual captions to reinforce learning.  

Our Great Scottie Solomona is now offering beginners’ courses in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, tailored to your team, and your time. To register your interest, contact: solomona@greatscott.co.nz