When Pacific languages are heard, spoken and celebrated, Pacific communities thrive and when our Pacific communities thrive, Aotearoa is a better place for all of us. Use of Pacific languages is in decline, and many are in danger of being lost. However, Aotearoa New Zealand, as the home to one of the largest Pacific populations in the world, is well placed to reverse this trend and to support Pacific languages to thrive.
Hon Aupito William Sio, Minister for Pacific Peoples, announced the Pacific Languages Strategy 2022-2032 at Parliament on 23 September 2022. Read the Minister's Press Release on the Beehive website.
The Pacific Languages Strategy 2022–2032 is the first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand. It takes a long-term approach to coordinating our support for Pacific languages across government, communities and other key stakeholders.
The Strategy is founded on the vision that “Thriving Pacific languages build a prosperous Aotearoa” and its three key objectives are to:
The Strategy will be implemented through a Pacific Languages Government Action Plan and ethnic-specific Community Language Action Plans. Progress will be monitored through the Leo Moana o Aotearoa project.
In October 2021, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples led targeted consultation on the draft Pacific Languages Strategy. You can read what was shared on our website at:
Feedback on draft Pacific Languages Strategy Consultation
Some of the priorities for each ethnic-specific language group are included in the final Strategy document. These will be an important part of ongoing talanoa on the Pacific Language Community Action Plans.
The Strategy will be implemented in two ways:
We will continue to work with each community to develop their Community Action Plans or build on existing language plans.
The Ministry for Pacific Peoples will continue to have annual Languages Funding rounds. The purpose of the funding will be aligned to the key objectives of the Strategy, and will take into account the different focus for each group of languages. See the table below for more details.
| Focus area | Language |
| Urgent revitalisation | Gagana Tokelau Vagahau Niue Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani |
| Strenthening transmission and maintenance | Gagana Samoa Lea Faka Tonga |
| Supporting community-led language planning | Gana Tuvalu Fäeag Rotuạm Ta Na Vosa Vakaviti Te Taetae ni Kiribati |
There will be engagements/workshops on the Pacific Languages Strategy. If you or your community are interested in participating in these when they are organised, please email: [email protected].
A limited number of hard copies of the Strategy and the translated Strategies will be made available soon. If you would like to know when copies are available, please email: [email protected].
You can download a copy of translated strategies from the list below.