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Media Releases
MEDIA RELEASE – 16 October 2025
PROUD TO STAND AS GOLD PARTNER AND LONG-STANDING
SUPPORTER OF TOITŪ TE REO FESTIVAL 2005
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII) is proud to stand as a Gold Partner and long-standing supporter of the Toitū Te Reo Festival 2025 - Aotearoa’s national celebration of Māori language and identity, proudly hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu in Heretaunga.
Toitū Te Reo brings thousands together to celebrate what te reo Māori means to Aotearoa. It inspires, unites, and activates - a living expression of the Kahungunu, Kia Eke! Māori Language Revitalisation Strategy, which continues to guide the iwi’s leadership in language revitalisation.
“We are immensely proud to host Toitū Te Reo here in Heretaunga,” says Bayden Barber, Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated. “This festival has become a national celebration of our shared journey, a place where we unite to celebrate, debate, and act for the future of te reo Māori. As Gold Partner and long-standing supporter, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. continues to uphold the vision of the Kahungunu, Kia Eke! strategy and our enduring belief that the language is central to who we are.”
Our partnership with Kauwaka, founder of Toitū Te Reo, reflects our shared commitment to the vision of the Kahungunu, Kia Eke! strategy and to Kauwaka’s mission of transformation through language and culture. Alongside them stands Te Pōkaitara, a Ngāti Kahungunu academy dedicated to Māori language and cultural excellence, founded by Sir Tīmoti Kāretu (patron), Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod, Piripi Winiata, and Te Ūranga Winiata, now in its fourth intake. Te Pōkaitara upholds the strategy’s vision through its unwavering commitment to restore te reo Māori so it may once again be a cornerstone of our identity. This year, its graduates and students have fully backed Toitū Te Reo 2025, bringing passion and strength to the festival.
The kaupapa of Toitū Te Reo is strengthened by the immeasurable support of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, whose attendance at the September breakfast launch in Heretaunga, and continued support this year, symbolise unwavering belief in the movement. Alongside her is Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, whose lifelong pursuit of excellence continues to guide and inspire. Together, their influence has anchored the festival as a national celebration of language pride, resilience, and unity.
This year’s theme, Titiro Whakaroto - Look Within, calls on all who cherish te reo Māori to reflect, renew, and reconnect with the deeper purpose of revitalisation. Across two days, 13 and 14 November 2025, the Heretaunga CBD and Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre will come alive with symposiums, wānanga, performances, and community celebrations honouring te reo Māori in all its beauty, strength, and vitality.
The event will unite a distinguished lineup of presenters and speakers from across Aotearoa, whose belief in the kaupapa and generous contribution will add great mana to Toitū Te Reo.
“Toitū Te Reo was no small feat - especially in the current economic and political climate,” says Bayden Barber. “The commitment of Kauwaka has been truly admirable - facing innumerable challenges in securing support, they left no stone unturned to keep this movement alive. We also acknowledge the support of Te Mātāwai & Te Whatu Ora, the people-powered backing of Te Pōkaitara, and the in-kind contribution of Hastings District Council. Our thanks also go to the Ngāti Kahungunu Rūnanga Arts and Culture Board for their investment and for helping to bring to life the allied events - the Takitimu Te Kahu o Te Amorangi Haka Workshops and the Waiata Māori Music Awards. These and many other contributions have ensured Toitū Te Reo remains a national beacon for te reo Māori - a living testament to unity, perseverance, and belief in the language’s future.”
At the breakfast launch, Toitū Te Reo founder and Kauwaka Director Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod reflected on the presence of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po and Tā Tīmoti Kāretu, and the moment the festival became a true national movement:
“… and finally, Te Arikinui and Tā Tīmoti Kāretu, you have clothed Toitū Te Reo. You have wrapped it in your blessing, your authority, and your prestige. The weight of what you give to this movement is immeasurable. You have given it dignity, you have given it life. We carry a duty to lift it higher, to prove ourselves worthy of it – worthy of something that you both care about so deeply. Because if we fail this, then ultimately, we fail you.”
Toitū Te Reo 2025
Thursday 13 – Friday 14 November
Hastings CBD and Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre
🎟️ Tickets available now at: www.toitutereo.co.nz
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated is a Mandated Iwi Organisation/Authority. Ngāti Kahungunu is the third largest iwi. Geographically the tribe has the second longest coastline in the country from Paritū in the North to Turakirae in the South. Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated maintains an independent position to provide research, advice and advocate for the interests, rights, values, beliefs and practices of Ngāti Kahungunu alongside our whānau and hapū. Our mission is to enhance the mana and well-being of Ngāti Kahungunu.
All Media Inquiries to the Chairman of the Board - Bayden Barber bayden@kahungunu.iwi.nz
