Despite 40,000 Cook Island Māori living in New Zealand and only 12,000 living in the Cook Islands, one Cook Island Māori language expert says their language is thriving more than ever.

With Māori Language Week upon us, Te Kāea spoke to Cook Island language expert Papatua Papatua today and many other locals about the status of their language and how they are able to keep it alive.

There are just some things you can’t learn from a book.

Keri Herman says, “You can see the children here from Mangaia really embrace their language because they were brought up in it, in their own dialect.” More.

See: Māori Television

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