Cook Islands Language Week 2023
It is Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani - Cook Islands Language Week in Aotearoa. This year’s theme is 'Ātuitui’ia au ki te au peu o tōku kāinga Ipukarea, which means, "connect me to the traditions & culture of my homeland".
AUT Alumnus Chrismagne Elikana — Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) — shares how he sees being grounded in the language of his homelands as a way of sustaining connection with his ancestors and carrying cultural stories forward for future generations.
He says, “From when I was a young one, born in the Cook Islands, I was always surrounded by the Cook Island Language, culture and tradition. Luckily enough, my parents who both spoke different dialects of the Cook Islands language, kept us grounded in the language. Sustaining our language is really important. Our language is a piece of history. It’s a connection from us to our ancestors.
It’s a story that’s been told from generation to generation and now it is our time to write in this story.”
The theme for the Pacific Language Weeks 2023 is sustainability, and AUT’s videos are a celebration of the power of language and culture featuring our alumni who are sharing their experience and journey with sustaining language.
The videos feature a diverse range of alumni, from business leaders to educators, community leaders and more who are all passionate about sustaining languages for future generations.
Through their stories, it will be evident the many ways in which language is a vital component of cultural identity and the ways our alumni have implemented it into their daily lives.
Cook Island greetings and other resources for Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani / Cooks Islands Language Week, including email signatures and printable posters, are available on the website of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Meitaki! (thank you)!
Release dates
To watch each video in the 2023 AUT Pacific language video series as they are launched, follow the Pacific at AUT Facebook page or watch on YouTube.
- Rotuman Language Week: Sunday 7 May – Saturday 13 May
- Samoa Language Week: Sunday 28 May – Saturday 3 June 2023
- Kiribati Language Week: Sunday 9 July – Saturday 15 July 2023
- Cook Islands Language Week: Sunday 30 July – Saturday 5 August 2023
- Tonga Language Week: Sunday 3 September – Saturday 9 September 2023
- Tuvalu Language Week: Sunday 1 October – Saturday 7 October 2023
- Fijian Language Week: Sunday 8 October – Saturday 14 October 2023
- Niue Language Week: Sunday 15 October – Saturday 21 October 2023
- Tokelau Language Week: Sunday 22 October – Saturday 28 October 2023