The first of September doesn’t just mean spring has arrived. It also marks the official start of Rohirohi Māori – or as English speakers might prefer, Māori fatigue. For the next 7 days, brace yourself. Every news bulletin, radio broadcast, TV advert and television presenter will be working overtime to ram as much te reo Māori into your daily routine as humanly possible. Make no mistake, this year they’ll be making sure it’s rammed harder and faster than ever before.
Expect to be greeted by a flood of kia oras, ngā mihi, kaka and the occasional wharepaku thrown in for good measure. From breakfast radio to the six o’clock news, te reo will be unavoidable. By the end of the week, many New Zealanders will find themselves rolling their eyes every time they hear another token phrase dropped into a sentence. If that’s you, then congratulations – Māori Fatigue week has worked exactly as intended.
Learning another language is a great thing if that’s what someone genuinely wants to do. Millions of people around the world pick up new languages using apps like Duolingo, or commit to evening night classes where they learn at their own pace. That’s how most languages are taught – through choice, effort, and interest. Te reo in New Zealand is different. It isn’t offered as an option, it’s practically forced upon you. Broadcasters, public servants, and increasingly even shop assistants act as though you’re expected to understand whatever is being said, regardless of whether you’ve had any exposure to the language before
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This “top-down” approach is one of the reasons many Kiwis feel resentment building rather than appreciation. It’s not about being anti-te reo. It’s about being told that you must not only hear it, but also understand it – without ever having signed up for that journey in the first place.
One very simple way to push back against this is to ask for translations. If someone delivers a greeting, phrase or statement in Māori, politely ask them to repeat it in English. It’s not rude – it’s practical. After all, English is still the main language of communication in New Zealand, and expecting clarity is nothing unreasonable.
So, welcome to Rohirohi Māori 2025. Over the next week, expect the volume of te reo in public life to be turned up to full blast. Some will embrace it, others will endure it, but many will finish the week feeling more fatigued than fluent.
Ngā mihi – or in plain English, thanks.
I got a bit ahead of myself – Māori Fatigue Week doesn’t start until the 15th. I’ll leave this post up but will re-upload it to X on the right date. That’s how keen I am for Māori Fatigue Week, I couldn’t even get the date straight!
My Canadian friend thinks I'm "wacist" for feeling exactly these sentiments. I've been here 35 years and was pleasantly picking up words and phrases as I went, right up until around 2 years ago when it turned into an agenda.
As soon as you force something or manipulate people into it, you start lose the room. TPM and the Labour Maori crew are setting race relations back decades.