Māori Language Week, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, has been celebrated in New Zealand, Aotearoa since 1975. This is a special week in Aotearoa to promote and celebrate te reo Māori as one of the country's official languages, through its incorporation into everyday life.
This year, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori continues the theme of Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori – making the language stronger. This campaign is an essential piece of the puzzle to achieving the goal of one million speakers of te reo Māori by 2040.
Although Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a great opportunity to incorporate te reo Māori into your everyday conversations not only with your family and friends, or whanau and hoa, the inclusion shouldn’t end there. This is the perfect excuse to implement some new routines and phrases into not only your everyday routine – but also your pets, or mōkai!
This week, try some commands in te reo Māori during your training or bonding moments. We are sure that both you and your dog, or kurī, will be on track to impress in no time.
Te reo Māori Commands
Hello |
Kia Ora |
/keeyah or-rah/ |
Dog |
Kurī |
/kooree/ |
Come here |
Haere Mai |
/hi-reh my/ |
Sit |
E noho |
/eh nor-whor/ |
Lie down |
takoto |
/tah-kah-toh/ |
Fetch |
tīkina |
/tea-key-nah/ |
Wait |
taihoa |
/tie ho-ah/ |
Yes |
Ae |
/eye/ |
No |
Kāo |
/kaow/ |
Good boy |
Tama pai |
/tah-mah pie/ |
Good girl |
Kōtiro pai |
/kore-teero pie/ |
Dinner time |
Wā kai |
/wah kuy/ |
Thank you |
Ngā Mihi |
/ngah me-he/ |
I love you |
Ka nui te aroha |
/cah nooey the ah-raw-huh/ |
Kurī Training Tips
When it comes to training your Kurī, positive reinforcement is your new best friend. Positive reinforcement training is pretty simple: you reward the stuff you want your Kurī to do and ignore the stuff you don't. And guess what's the magic reward? Yep, treats, or maimoatanga!
So, what better way to get started than with a new experience for both you and your best friend, or hoa pai!
Using treats, or maimoatanga, like K9 Natural's Lamb Lung Protein Bites or Green Lipped Mussels Healthy Snacks is like Kurī training gold. You keep a treat handy, and when your Kurī does what you ask, they get a tasty bite. Over time, they'll connect good behaviour with yummy rewards and happily follow your commands. Once your Kurī gets the hang of it, you can start being a bit stingy with the treats. Keep them guessing and excited about what's coming next.
Read more about positive reinforcement straight from our Veterinary partner, Dr. Josie Gollan, for more tips to help encourage your Kurī with learning their new Te Reo phrases!