Pacific Language Weeks

Our Pacific languages are the anchor to our identity.

Kia orana, Noa’ia, Talofa lava, Mauri, Mālō e lelei, Tālofa, Ni Sa Bula Vinaka, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mālō ni and warm Pacific greetings. Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of our Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa.

On this page you will find Pacific Language Weeks 2023: Rotuma, Samoa, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue and Tokelau.



"Across the Porirua community, we embrace learning from, and celebrating, the awesome diversity of languages and cultures that thrive here - and the Pacific Language Weeks is a great way to do just that" - Porirua Mayor, Anita Baker


Watch the latest Language week videos

Visit our dedicated YouTube channel to watch all the latest Pacific Language week videos.


Pacific Language Week Schedule 2023


Rotuma

rotuman.JPG

Sunday 7 May - Saturday 13 May

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

A Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islands. Did you know Rotuma is a volcanic island about 465km south of Fiji?

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Noa'ia


Samoa

Samoa - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 28 May - Saturday 3 June

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Samoa lies south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. Did you know the largest island of Samoa is Savaìi and the most populated island is Upolu?

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: talofa


Kiribati

Kiribati - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 9 July - Saturday 15 July

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Kiribati, officially Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean. Did you know there are 33 islands, 20 of which are inhabited?

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Ko na mauri


Cook Islands

Cook Islands - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 30 July - Saturday 5 August

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

The Cook Islands are in the South Pacific Ocean, north-east of New Zealand, between French Polynesia and American Samoa. Did you know the Cook Islands is made up of 15 islands, Rarotonga being the largest?

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Kia Orana


Tonga

Tonga - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 3 September - Saturday 9 September

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Tonga is a Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 South Pacific islands, many uninhabited, most lined in white beaches and coral reefs and covered with tropical rainforest.

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Malo e lelei


Tuvalu

Tuvalu - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 1 October - Saturday 7 October

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

In the South Pacific is an independent island nation within the British Commonwealth. Its nine islands comprise small, thinly populated atolls and reef islands with palm-fringed beaches and WWII sites.

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Fakatalofa


Fiji

Fiji - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 8 October - Saturday 14 October

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Made up of more than 300 islands, Fiji is famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. Its major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, contain most of the population.

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Bula


Niue

Niue - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 15 October - Saturday 21 October

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Niue is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. It’s known for its limestone cliffs and coral-reef dive sites. Migrating whales swim in Niue's waters between July and October.

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Fakalofa Atu


Tokelau

Tokelau - Portrait.jpg

Sunday 22 October - Saturday 28 October

Flag raising ceremony: TBA

Tokelau is a remote group of atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that famously catch fish near its coral reef

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events.

Hello: Mālo ni!


“Language is the key to the definition of our overall Pacific wellbeing.” - Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio

Head to our Facebook Events page to see the latest Language week events for 2023.