Our Vision and Strategy
Our Vision
Kia Ūkaipō anō te Reo is our vision to restore the Māori language as a nurturing first language for our tamariki and mokopuna.
The vision of “Kia Ūkaipō anō te Reo” has been encapsulated in our navigational metaphor, Hawaiki Mokopuna. Hawaiki Mokopuna represents a time and space where whānau are healthy, strong, and empowered to fulfil their dreams and aspirations, where te reo Māori is safe and intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted.
Our Focus
To realise the vision of “Kia Ūkaipō anō te Reo” we want to see two key priority outcomes in kāinga and hapori:
- Tukuihotanga – Deliberate intergenerational transmission
- Hononga Hapori Reo – Connected language speaker communities
These outcomes will be driven by:
- Mana Motuhake – Authority
- Toitūtanga – Sustainability & Continuity
As outlined in the Statement of Intent 2024-2027, this strategic shift enables Te Mātāwai to realign our outputs with the long-term goals of the Maihi Māori.
Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora
"Kia mauriora te reo Māori"
Te Ture mō Te Reo Māori 2016 (external link)set a new approach for revitalisation, one where Te Mātāwai, on behalf of iwi and Māori provides leadership within Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora. Te Whare o te Reo Mauriora is a conceptual framework that reflects how iwi and Māori and the Crown work in partnership to revitalise the Māori language.
Maihi Māori Strategy
Te Mātāwai is responsible for leading the Maihi Māori, the Māori language strategy for iwi and Māori, and advising on the Maihi Karauna, the government’s Māori language strategy. The Maihi Karauna strategy is led by crown agencies.
By 2040, we intend to be able to state that:
a) One million people or more are using Māori language in community immersion domains.
b) The Māori language has become the first language of 25 percent of all Māori children (aged up to seven years old).
Download Maihi Māori strategy (Te Reo Māori) [PDF, 1.1 MB]
Download Maihi Māori strategy (English) [PDF, 636 KB]
Our Role
"Kia ūkaipō anō te reo"
- Work in partnership with the Crown to revitalise the Māori language.
- Represent iwi and Māori, through our unique Board model and our Pae Motuhake, in their role as Kaitiaki of the Māori language.
- Empower iwi and Māori to lead Māori language revitalisation within their homes and communities.
- Inform and invest in whānau, hapori and iwi to restore the Māori language as the nurturing first language of the home.
Our Impact
Kāinga, hapori and iwi are at the centre of everything we do because it is in those spaces that language revitalisation happens. For this reason, we are working to support and enable the conditions for our whānau and communities to lead their language journeys, to extend their language networks and collaborations for solutions that fit their whānau and community.
Te Mātāwai was established to represent the interests of iwi and Māori and to protect, promote and support language revitalisation at a kāinga, hapori and iwi level.
We are responsible for the use of public funds to achieve the objectives set out in the Maihi Māori strategy.
Every three years, we deliver a Statement of Intent that sets out our plan towards achieving the vision of the Maihi Māori strategy, ‘Kia Ūkaipō anō te Reo Māori’, restoring te reo Māori as a nurturing first language.
Find our Statement of Intent and Annual Reports here.
Our statutory function can be broadly described as the following:
LEADING – where Te Mātāwai has specific responsibilities relating to the Maihi Māori strategy and Māori Television Service
INVESTING – including the provision of services and administration of programmes that contribute to the implementation of the Maihi Māori strategy
INFLUENCING – through the provision of advice and guidance to Ministers, Crown agencies and other contributors to the language revitalisation effort
Section 44 of Te Ture mō te Reo Māori 2016 requires that the Minister for Māori Development must commence a review of Act within three years of it coming into force.
The review is to be conducted in accordance with the terms set by the Minister and Te Mātāwai.