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Cook Islands Māori Language Week for 2026: Sunday 2nd August - Saturday 8th August

Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani, the language of the Cook Islands, is a vital link to the identity, cultural knowledge, and heritage of Cook Islands Māori people.

🇨🇰 Te Reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani — Pacific Learners
Word of the Day & Pronunciation Guide
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🔤 Te Tangianga o te Reo — Pronunciation Guide

Te Reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani has five vowels and nine main consonants. Vowels share the same pronunciation as other Pacific languages including Te Reo Māori (NZ Māori). Vowels can be short or long — the long sound is indicated with a macron. Short and long vowels distinguish different words.

Short Vowels — a, e, i, o, u
A a
as in are
E e
as in there
I i
as in three
O o
as in or
U u
as in two
Long Vowels — ā, ē, ī, ō, ū (macron = longer sound)
Ā ā
as in father
Ē ē
as in egg
Ī ī
as in feet
Ō ō
as in thought
Ū ū
as in loot
Te Au Reta — The Cook Islands Māori Alphabet
Aa
Anu (cold)
Ee
'Ei (garland)
Ii
'Īmene (song)
Oo
Ora kanga (playtime)
Uu
'Ura (dance)
Ng
Ngūtupa (door)
Kk
Kerekere (black)
Mm
Ma'ata (big)
Nn
Nira (needle)
Pp
Pereue (coat)
Rr
Rekareka (happy)
Tt
Tāne (man)
Vv
Vai (water)
[']
Glottal stop
A   E   I   O   U
NG   K   M   N   P   R   T   V   [']
NG — The Blend
The ng sound is like 'nga' in Te Reo Māori, or the 'ng' in the English word 'song'. It can start, end and appear in the middle of a word.
Glottal Stop [']
The glottal stop ['] always comes before a vowel sound. It creates a brief pause — like the pause in the middle of 'uh-oh' in English.
⚡ Long vowels change meaning: marama (moon) vs mārama (daylight). Always note the macron — it is not just a spelling detail, it changes the entire meaning of a word!

Dialects: Tongarevan adds S and H · Manihiki/Rakahanga add F and H · Pukapuka uses L, W and Y.
Te Reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani is an endangered Polynesian language closely related to Te Reo Māori (NZ Māori).
More Cook Islanders live in New Zealand than in the Cook Islands itself.
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Common Cook Islands Words

In this video you will learn Common Cook Islands words that you can use every day.

You can learn words like, ‘Aere mai’ which means ‘Come’ or ‘Pongi’ which means ‘Hungry’ and many more.

Common Cook Islands Phrases

In our second Cook Islands language video we bring you ‘Common Cook Islands Phrases’.

In this video, you have access to over 15 common phrases that you can use in everyday conversations.

Learn phrases like ‘Meitaki ‘au au’ which means ‘I’m good thankyou’ or ‘Aere mai kaikai’ which means ‘Come and eat’, and many more.

The Lord’s Prayer in Cook Islands

At Pacific Learners Education, we are passionate about providing content that enriches the cultural journey of our Pacific children. In this video, we give you the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ in Cook Islands.

Cook Islands words for items at the supermarket

As we continue to build our Cook Islands language video series, we give you ‘Cook Islands words for items at the supermarket’.

Items like ‘Varaoa’ which means ‘Bread’ or ‘Moa’ which means ‘Chicken’ and many more.

Cook Islands words shapes and colours

As we continue to build our Cook Islands language video series, we give you ‘Cook Island words for shapes and colours’.

Use them in a sentence like ‘The sky this evening looks bright Makara’ or ‘Your necklace looks great, especially the Tatauro’.

Cook Islands words for things at school

This video is great for our children, being able to use Cook Islands words for things that we see at school can really support our children in their language journey

You can use words like ‘Peni’ instead of ‘Pen’, or ‘Puka’ instead of ‘Book’, and many more.

Cook Islands words for Family

When learnnig a new language, it is important to start with the basics, so in this video, we bring you ‘Cook Islands words for Family’.

You can learn words like ‘Metuavaine’ which means ‘Mother’ or ‘Akametua Tane’ which means ‘Uncle’ and many more

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