Spark New Zealand : NZ backs te reo Maori

In recognition of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Spark has also launched its first te reo Māori narrated advertising. By partnering with Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission) the company has relaunched its 'Little can be huge' brand platform with a translation into te reo Māori this week.

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori facilitated this work to ensure the translation was respectful to the language and the purpose of the brand manifesto. It was voiced by five-year-old Piiata Nairn from Wellington who is fluent in both te reo Māori and English.

Spark has also rebranded its twitter account to 'Kora Aotearoa', a direct translation of 'Spark New Zealand' and inner-city billboards have been changed to te reo Māori, in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

Chief Executive of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Ngahiwi Apanui says the Commission is thrilled to have teamed up with Spark

'Including te reo Māori in the advertisement is indicative of the great support that Spark has for te reo Māori. The sentiments and impacts are so important for the health of the language. Of equal importance is the authentic approach that Spark took in working with us on this project. You can achieve maximum results in the use of the Māori language by ensuring, that the language and culture accompany each other. They cannot be separated: one gives life to the other.'

'As the advertisement says 'He kupu iti, ka ora te reo'' A little word can save a language' And, with a little help, a little country can take on the world. 'Āe mārika…he nui anō te iti '

Spark's Head of Diversity and Inclusion Rhonda Koroheke says these external initiatives are backed up by Spark's growing focus on cultural diversity and inclusion.

'Our emphasis on diversity and inclusion means we can do these things authentically. It stems from a grassroots level internally, and is met with acknowledgement and encouragement at boardroom and management levels.'

'Our frontline people are now using Kia ora as a greeting, and Ngā mihi as a thank you, and our customer surveys are now also translated to Te reo Māori. We're proud to be a big business backing the use of te reo Māori.'

'We have also just launched an internal te reo application 'Tuia te ao' for our Spark people to incorporate more Māori protocol and language in to their work lives.'

Spark NZ Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori initiatives | Links

Spark 'He nui anō te iti' brand manifesto - Spark partnered with the Māori Language Commission to revoice our 'Little can be huge' brand manifesto in te reo Māori.

Rebranded Spark NZ (Kora Aotearoa) Twitter - Spark has rebranded its Twitter feed for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Facebook activation - Spark worked with Colenso BBDO to roll out a social campaign on Facebook and Instagram. The campaign uses simple picture carousels to teach New Zealanders a few simple Māori words.

#ReoReasons videos - Spark worked with Māori Television on the #ReoReasons project. The videos shot at Spark offices show Spark people from across the business, and at leadership level learning simple Māori words from two tamariki. These videos have also been made available for other New Zealand businesses to use.

Social Media post examples - Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

Notes to the editor:

Bio: Piiata Nairn the narrator of Spark's brand work
Piiata is five years old. On her Mother's side, she is a descendent of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Tuwharetoa. On her Father's side, she is descended from the clans of the British Isles and Europe. She is growing up in a Māori speaking home, fluent in both Te Reo Māori and English. Piiata went to Ngaio Te Kohanga Reo and now attends Te Kura Kaupapa o Ngā Mokopuna.