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Rotorua Reorua | Bilingual Rotorua

A bilingual sign at the Rotorua Library

Rotorua is committed to advancing as a bilingual city, in which we support and promote both te reo Māori and English.

This declaration was made on August 11, 2017. It is a reminder for everyone living in Rotorua to think about how they can support both languages, including te reo Māori, which is unique to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Rotorua Reorua is an initiative led by Te Tatau o Te Arawa with support from its partners, Rotorua Lakes Council and Te Puni Kōkiri.

Being bilingual brings to life Council's partnership with Te Tatau board and the motto Tatau Tatau - We Together.

Rotorua Reorua - tetatau.nz

Me pēhea koe te kaupapa reorua e tautoko?

How can you support and promote reorua?

The challenge is to create a place where we as Rotorua citizens can collectively nurture, protect, embrace and promote te reo Māori. English is the unofficial common language in Aotearoa New Zealand and it's up to us to ensure te reo Māori becomes a common language written, read, heard and spoken.

We can all help contribute to be advancing as a bilingual city by:

  • Making it a conscious habit to pronounce Māori words correctly
  • Learning a new word each day
  • Make it a habit to say Māori greetings such as kia ora and tēnā koe all the time
  • Start learning about the meaning and the stories behind place names such as Tūtānekai.
Rauemi Reo | Language Resources
Bilingual welcome sign at Taikaka playground

What Council has been doing

In addition to the many bilingual street signs found around the city, Rotorua Lakes Council have worked closely with our partners since the 2017 commitment in several areas, including the first bilingual playground, bilingual wayfinding projects, and incorporating te reo Māori for Council staff into training, onboarding and documentation.

Rotorua reorua ideas that have been explored:

  • Increasing the stories behind street signs and investigating how technology can help tell these stories
  • Developing digital repositories of te reo Māori stories for future generations
  • Encouraging local businesses to use more te reo Māori and in their menus and signage.

Read more about our kaupapa Māori and other key partnerships in our About section.

Kaupapa Māori

Bilingual public wāhi (space)

The playground in the Government Gardens has had a makeover to become a bilingual Māori language zone and Rotorua's first reorua playground. Taikākā is located near Teletubby Hill in the Government Gardens.

Read about Taikākā's development

Wayfinding signage

The Wayfinding signage project was developed to support and demonstrate Rotorua’s pride in its Māori heritage and strong Te Arawa culture by making authentic expressions of Te Arawa culture more visible throughout the destination.

The approach has been to provide a cohesive and consistent signage suite, showing the presence of Te Arawa with the intention of delivering an increased understanding of the culture by manuhiri, creating a greater feeling of connection with the region and to grow visitor’s cultural experiences. The project is in its final stretch for delivery which aims to be complete and signage visible throughout Rotorua by the end of 2025.

Background

Rotorua made the commitment to become New Zealand's first bilingual city on August 11, 2017, at a ceremony at Rotorua Lakes Council.

Former Māori Development Minister/former Waiariki MP, Te Ururoa Flavell, advocated for the idea of Rotorua becoming a bilingual city and in 2016 floated it with then-Rotorua Mayor, Steve Chadwick, who was supportive of the initiative.

Ōtaki and Wairoa have also shown an interest in becoming bilingual rohe/areas.

About Te Tatau o Te Arawa

Te Tatau o Te Arawa is leading the drive on behalf of the district with the support of Council and Te Puni Kōkiri. The board is a partner to Rotorua Lakes Council, which is made up of 14 members, and represents the diverse voices of Te Arawa. It aims to strengthen the relationship between Council and Te Arawa.

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