27 Feb 2012

Cook Islands revives Te Kopapa Reo

11:17 am on 27 February 2012

The Cooks Islands Minister of Culture Teariki Heather has revived the dormant Te Kopapa Reo, or Te Reo Maori Commission.

In celebration of International Mother Language Day, Teariki Heather formally re-appointed the former members of the commission, which for four years has been inactive.

The Cook Islands news reports Teariki Heather re-appointed culture secretary Sonny Williams as chairman of the commission.

Mr Williams says the commission faces a heavy task in preserving and promoting the Cook Islands Maori language.

He says the commission's priorities are to create a national standard - a database of all words in all reo Maori dialects - and to devise new words which describe elements of modern culture.

The goal is to make both databases available for people in the Cook Islands, but also for Cook Islanders overseas.