18 September 2018

SouthSeas Healthcare staff sharpened up on te reo Māori language as their way of embracing Maori Language Week.

Staff learned basic Maori phrases for interaction such as kia ora and tēnā koe.

SouthSeas Operations Manager Solo Aiono says it’s important for SouthSeas to embrace the language weeks. “We want our staff to embrace the diversity of our working environment and be active in learning and appreciating other languages in New Zealand, especially for the diverse communities we serve.”

“We want our staff to be familiar with the phrases in languages that are promoted as NZ official languages other than English. We want to go beyond ‘kia ora’ or ‘kia kaha’ and many of our staff have immersed themselves in the Māori language and culture as they do with all the other languages that are celebrated for their own uniqueness.”

Te reo Maori is one of the languages on UNESCO’s endangered languages list.

The 2013 census shows only 21% of the Māori population can hold a conversation about everyday things in te reo, down from 25% in 1996.

As part of Māori Language Week, SouthSeas staff were encouraged to use greetings and sign-offs in te reo.

Māori Language Week concluded with a shared lunch and a waiata uniting the staff in true wairua.

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