As a leading public university, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland recognises its responsibility to protect, preserve and promote te reo Māori in partnership with iwi Māori and the community.

The University aims to normalise te reo Māori across campus and be a place where the language is visible, heard and used every day. 

This commitment is expressed through our language plans. Our current plan is He Makau Mauroa, the Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland Language Plan for the Revitalisation of Te Reo Māori 2026 to 2030.

Building on the University’s inaugural revitalisation plan, Te taonga nō tua whakarere, he taonga mō āpōpō:  A treasure from ancient times, and for tomorrow, published in 2019, He Makau Mauroa introduces new areas of focus designed to strengthen efforts to embed te reo Māori into everyday life and expand opportunities for teaching and learning.

The 2019 plan formed the foundation of the University’s long-term commitment to strengthening te reo Māori across campus, in alignment to the Crown’s national strategy for revitalising the language. Since then, the University has made strong progress in supporting te reo Māori revitalisation. Key achievements include:

• The University's reo Māori capability development programme Te Taumata Ngaio [staff intranet]
• Bilingual signage and symbols of tikanga Māori, such as the Pou at the corner of Grafton and Symonds Street, He Taumata Rau
• A very successful Te Akoranga Kairangi programme
• Interactive kaupapa at within Te Herenga Mātauranga Whānui, General Library's ReoSpace
• The establishment of Kura Taumata Rau, a two day reo wānanga for staff to learn about the language, culture, kōrero tuku iho, waiata, tikanga and kawa
• An expanding Kuputaka (glossary of terms) with new names regularly developed, e.g. Te Pūtahi Mātauranga, Faculty of Arts and Education.