If you've ever wanted to officially rep 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori' in your fit - your chance is coming.
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) is dropping the coveted hoodies at The Warehouse, along with a bunch of tees, track pants and sweatshirts, all sporting the legendary hei tiki design with the mean rainbow tongue.
Nothing in the range is over $35, and it'll be in stores and online from the 14th of this month - just in time for Māori language week, which kicks off on the 16th.
Before this, the only way to score these sweet threads was to win or be gifted one by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. The Kia Kaha te Reo Māori branding has also always been available for anyone to download and create their own DIY gear, but now they're cutting the hassle in half and putting the clothes online and on shelves across 20 different shops around Aotearoa.
Not every store’s getting them, so if your local's not one of the lucky ones, you’ll need to hustle online to grab your gear, 'cause they’re looking to be pretty damn popular.
“Whānau, kōhanga, sports teams and workplaces can still print their own stuff to celebrate te reo Māori,” says Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Tumu Whakahaere (Chief Executive), Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr. “They just can’t sell them.”
So, no cheeky side hustle on homemade merch, sorry team - it’s a big no-go!
“The Warehouse has been a ‘friend of’ te reo Māori for a long time and you see this on their in-store signage and bilingual branding on many of their product lines,” says Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr.
“As a Kiwi company, te reo is important to us, our team, customers, and communities," adds Troy Rawhiti-Connell, Māori Development Lead at The Warehouse.
"We’ve been adding everyday reo to our private label products and packaging since 2019, so this apparel range is another exciting step for us."
Righto, I’m keen as! Now, how do you say ‘I’m dripping’ in Te Reo?
