15 Mar 2018

Council urged to promote te reo around city

9:58 am on 15 March 2018

Hundreds of people have told the Wellington City Council they want to see te reo Māori made more visible around the city.

Summer in Wellington, Cuba Street. A man seeks shelter from the sun.

Cuba Street, Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

The council called for submissions on the policy initiated by the Deputy Mayor, Jill Day, who said she wants the capital to be a leader in revitalising the language.

The policy suggests bilingual signage and support for reo Māori initiatives by community groups.

Ms Day said small changes can create a big impact in revitalising the language.

She said interest in the language is evident in the waiting lists for te reo Māori courses in the capital.

"It's a good sign that people are really wanting to embrace te reo Māori. It's important that we as the capital city are making that commitment," she said.

The council will review the submissions and come up with an action plan over the next few weeks.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs